Heartbeat
by JimberlyShipper
Summary: This is it! The sequel to I'll Be Here To Catch You! Picks up where the previous left off. Read and review! Later chappies, Casey's disappearance causes panic with the SVU team.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: This is the sequel to **_**I'll Be Here To Catch You**_**. It picks up where the other left off. Read and review! Oh yes. Anything that is known to be someone else's isn't mine. I hope that you like this one. I had a lot of fun writing the first one, and I am really glad that ya'll liked it. I would like to personally thank EOSVU4Eva, onetreefan, Rhonda Roo, mrslee, icedogfan, xox-BenslerBaby2008-xox for reviewing my first. I would especially like to thank EOSVU4Eva, because she actually did what I was hoping someone would. You have no idea how happy that made me. OK. On with the story! And if anyone else reviews, thank you from the bottom of my heart. **_

Heartbeat

By Julia

Their apartment was full of people. The EMTs were trying to stop Olivia's blood-loss before they took her down to the bus, because it was excessive. The other EMTs were making sure that El was still alive. They managed to wake him up and put him on a stretcher. They took him down to one of the buses and headed off to the hospital. One of the EMTs was saying, ''She's lost a lot of blood. I don't know if she's going to make it.''

Fin Tutuola was standing in the apartment, his partner Chester Lake beside him. After Lake had called, it had taken them about twenty minutes to get there. Olivia had lay there bleeding all that time. And Elliot had been unconscious. It was not looking good. Fin looked at Lake. ''You are so dead. When Elliot finds out that you were behind this, and you are basically the reason that Olivia is bleeding out right now, and possibly going to die, he won't worry about getting put in jail. He will kill your ass.''

Lake looked nervous. ''Don't let him kill me! I didn't know that Harris and his accomplice had that much information.'' He was still hesitant to tell Fin everything. It was already looking bad enough for him.

Fin watched as they loaded Olivia onto a gurney and took her down to the other ambulance. ''You are so dead. I can only back your play so much. I can't back you on this one. Olivia is dying, Lake. _Dying_. She's my friend, and so is Elliot. They have been in love for years, and they've been together barely a week, and you manage to get her stabbed? Yeah, you're one dead mofo. I'm going to the hospital. Are you going to come? Better explain yourself to Elliot as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the more dead you're going to become.''

At the hospital, Elliot woke up. ''Olivia.'' He said, as soon as he could speak. His nurse came in, carrying his chart. She was looking it over as he was taking a drink of water out of a full cup beside his bed.

''You're Elliot Stabler. You came in with the stab victim, right?'' She asked, never looking up from the chart.

Elliot looked around groggily. He ignored her, and turned to Lake, who was sitting next to his bed, looking apologetic. ''Where is Liv? Where's my girlfriend, Chester?'' He asked angrily.

Lake said carefully, ''Let me fill you in, El. I heard that Lowell Harris was getting out. Something about bribing one of the officers or something. I'm not sure, I just know he was getting out. So I was trying to keep him from getting to Olivia. I had heard that he was wanting to get revenge on her because she got him put away. He hooked up with this guy. They were stalking Liv. I've been trying to keep him from finding anything out about her. It just didn't work.'' He knew Harris' accomplice's name. He was still keeping quiet on that one. It might not be wise, but he was already in major trouble with Elliot as it was. He wasn't going to let on that he knew more than he was telling.

Elliot began pulling out all the tubes and things he was hooked up to and began attempting to get up. ''Where is she, Lake? Don't make me ask you again, _damn_ you.'' He was desperate to know how and where Olivia was, so that last part was much louder than he had intended.

Lake knew Elliot was going to kill him. ''Well, after his accomplice knocked you out, Olivia must have tried to fight Harris, because she was stabbed. She's in the OR right now. She lost a lot of blood, El.'' He had gone white as a sheet from fear.

Elliot couldn't keep his anger to himself. ''This happened to us because _you_ didn't fill us in! You didn't warn us! Harris found Olivia was able to hurt her because of _YOU._ Do you know how badly I'm going to hurt you? You will know the meaning of pain when I'm finished with you.''

The nurse was taken aback and stayed out of the way as Elliot punched Lake in the face and went out in the hall. He was by no means finished hurting him, but he had a killer headache, and he was in a hospital. Too many witnesses. He was going to the reception desk, and going to demand that they tell him where Livvy was.

The doctor was standing by the desk. The nurse had warned him about Elliot's temper. ''Dect. Stabler, go back to your room. We have to make sure that you don't have any serious injuries. You were hit on the head by a bat and you were unconcious for nearly a half an hour. It could have caused serious damages. You can't do anything for your girlfriend right now. She is still in the OR.''

Elliot braced himself against the desk. He hated to look weak any time. This was especially not a good time to look weak. ''Look, I want to stay right here until she comes out of surgery. I will be here for her. That's my job. She is counting on me. I don't even want to think...'' He had to stop, as tears were threatening to spill down his cheeks. He tried to steady himself and said, ''about what she's thinking in that room. She could...could be thinking I'm...dead. That I failed her.'' He couldn't keep his voice steady as the tears finally fell.

They were getting a tiny audience. Lake had entered the waiting room, going to sit down. He was carefully holding ice over his eye. Fin was coming back, carrying some paperwork, and he tossed it at Lake and went over to Elliot and the doctor, whose name was Taylor. ''Come on, El. You need to be strong for Liv. I'll take you back to your room. I'll make sure they tell me how she's doing.'' He told him, and after a silent fight, El let him lead him back into his room.

Elliot got back onto the bed, and the nurse hooked him back up, checked his vitals, and went off to order an x-ray. He grabbed tissues off the table by his bed and let it all out. Fin wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to let El know he was there for him, but he wasn't sure how El would react if the fact that he was crying was acknowledged. Elliot was so worried for Livvy. He didn't know what to do. He hated to be in this bed, while she was in surgery, possibly wondering if he was alive or dead.

Fin finally said, ''Cap says that he's got everyone he can after Harris. He and his mystery man better hide pretty damn good, because he's out for blood. I swear, I have never seen him angrier.''

Elliot sniffled and wiped off his face. ''That's good. All I'm thinking about is Livvy right now.'' He turned to look at Fin. ''You could do one thing for me, though, and I would be really glad.''

Fin wanted to anything he could for Elliot and Liv. ''Sure, anything. Cap said that he, Munch, and Lake will work on finding these guys so I could do whatever you needed. Munch said he's going to come and see Liv when she's out of surgery. He said he's worried for her, but he has to do something.''

Elliot understood that, and he knew that Munch really did care for Olivia. He was being killed with the waiting, too. The only difference is that he had to stay in this hospital bed, powerless to do anything. He said, ''All I need you to do for me right this minute is tell Lake that he better get as far from this hospital as he can, because if I see him again, head injuries or not, I will kick his ass as hard as I can. And he really better think about transferring. I don't ever want to see his ugly mug around that precinct ever again.''

Fin said, ''You bet I can do that. I personally am not going to get in the middle, but I will ask him to get the hell out of here. I already told him that he's in very hot water. Cap's really pissed off. He told me to keep Lake away from him. I'm going to send him with John. Do you want me to see if I can find anything out about Liv, too, before I come back?''

Elliot closed his eyes and lay back. His head was killing him. ''Yes, if you wouldn't mind. And if you could, call Kathy, and see if she can tell the kids. She can come if she wants, but I don't need her. I'm too worried about Liv to deal with her if she's going to be all passive agressive.''

Fin nodded. ''Sure, I can do that. I'll be right back. El, keep yo' ass in that bed.'' He said, using a stern tone, but wearing a kindly expression, so El knew he was just doing it to help him, show him he cared. Elliot just nodded as Fin left the room.

Fin entered the waiting room, finding Lake sitting nervously in a chair. Munch was there, too, talking to a doctor that Fin hadn't yet met. He went to Lake. ''You go wait for Munch at the car. I'll tell 'im. Get yo' ass out there.'' Lake got up to go, and Fin added, ''You'd better be thinking about transferring back to Brooklyn SVU. Elliot doesn't want to work with you anymore. And neither do Cap, John, or I. Liv's the only one who can't speak up. She's having emergency surgery.''

He ignored him after that and went to join Munch. He had just finished talking to the doctor. Fin asked, ''So what did the doc say about Liv? Is she out of surgery?''

Munch's eyes were wet. ''I would hold off on telling Elliot this. He said that Liv's in a coma. The surgery went fine, she just didn't wake up after. The doctor thinks it's from the loss of blood. He thinks that she'll wake up, though. It's just a matter of when.''

Fin tried not to let his emotions show. ''I can't keep something like that from Elliot. Especially with him here in the hospital. He's going to ask someone, or hear someone talking. It's gonna be hard.''

Munch said, ''Oh, you're not going to be here. Casey's coming to relieve you. You are coming with me, and we're dropping Lake off at the precinct. He's going to tell us everything he knows. Cap wants him on desk duty. I'm going to go see Liv, and you can fill El in and then see Liv, while we wait for Casey. She'll be about a half hour.''

Fin said, ''I'll go back and tell El she's stable after her surgery. That should hold him off for awhile. I guess I'll see you when Casey gets here. I'll see Liv later. I need to get myself ready.'' They shared a look, and Munch headed off to ICU.

Elliot was asleep when he got back in the room. It was all the pain meds they'd given him. Fin sat down and pulled out his cell. He figured he could let Cap know what was going on. He hated all of this. Something had never happened like this to them before, and it was fucking awful.

Munch was sitting in Liv's room, watching the machines helping her breathe. She looked peaceful, like she was just asleep. He tried to keep the tears from falling as he prepared to tell her something. He knew there was a possibility that she could hear him. He wanted to make sure that he told her what he had never been able to say. ''Olivia, it's John. You're in a coma, and they aren't sure when you're going to wake up. I wanted to tell you that I love you very much. Not in the same way Elliot does. More like a brother. I don't have much family, so you guys are it for me. I don't see my actual family that much. Jordie is the only one I really have a lot of contact with. I really don't think that we could lose you. You are the glue that holds our precinct together. Elliot is going to completely lose it if you don't ever wake up. I know that's a lot to put on you. But if you really love him, you'll try your hardest not to go into that white light. The rest of us would be sad, and we'd miss you, but Elliot, I don't think there'd be anything left of him. That's not something he'd be able to come back from. Please wake up.'' John wiped tears from his eyes, kissed her hand, and left the room to collect Fin.

Casey strode into the hospital, looking like hell. Munch had filled her in, and she was upset. She had managed to calm herself down enough to sit with Elliot. John had told her that he was barely keeping it together, and she didn't want to be the one who made him completely lose it. He had to be strong so he could get better.

She reached the waiting room, and found Munch sitting there. He got up as she approached. ''Fin still in with Elliot?'' She asked, as she pushed back a lock of her long hair.

Munch nodded. ''Yes. I talked to Olivia. She's still in the coma, but the doctor says that she can hear us talking to her. I told her to wake up, for Elliot.'' He kept the rest to himself. It was too personal.

Casey smiled softly at him. She knew Munch had opened himself up to Liv. She didn't pry, though. He was usually a private guy anyway. ''So, I hear that Lake is the one who caused all of this to happen by not filling you guys in on Harris' release.'' She said, changing the subject.

Munch nodded. ''Yes. Cap's got him in the precinct on desk duty. That's why I called you. So you could stay with Elliot, keep him briefed on Liv's condition. We're trying to keep him from finding out that Liv's in a coma as long as we can. Doctor Taylor says that it could be a few days before she wakes up, if she even wakes up at all. I want to make sure that we ease him into it. He needs to concentrate on taking those tests they want to take, to make sure that he doesn't have permanent brain damage. He won't do that if he thinks he's lost Olivia. So whatever you do, just tell him that she's stable. You'll have to get updates, of course, he won't let you forget about that, but don't tell him about the coma until you have to.'' He paused a moment. ''He's taking this really hard, Casey. Fin said he cried some, but if you can, get him to talk to you. He can't hold it in. It'll just hit him harder. Especially if she never wakes up.'' That was hard for him to say, and Casey saw some wetness in his eyes.

Casey nodded. ''I will do so to the best of my ability. I'll go in, and send Fin out.'' She touched John's arm and headed into Elliot's room. He was still asleep, and Fin was doing a crossword in the paper. ''OK, Fin, you can go and help Munch.'' She told him, placing her briefcase on the floor by the chair. She was glad she'd brought it. She could work on some of her paperwork while El was sleeping.

Fin said, ''Cool. Munch filled you in on Liv, right?'' He didn't wait for Casey's reply. ''Make sure that he lets the nurses and Dr. Taylor want him to do. He's going to want to make sure that they've got Liv covered, but he needs those tests, Case. You'll have to be firm wit him. Can you do that?'' He asked.

Casey said, ''I can try. I'll just remind him that Liv needs him to get better. That will probably help a lot.'' They shared a look, and Fin left to help Munch. Casey pulled out some of her papers as Elliot slept on. A nurse came and got him a half an hour later for another x-ray, and Casey took the opportunity to see Olivia.

She walked into Olivia's room, and tears dripped from her eyes. Olivia was lying so still, and while she was breathing on her own, machines were helping her do it. Casey could hardly believe her eyes. Olivia was such a strong woman, and to see her like this was a blow to her heart. She sat down in the chair by Liv's bed and took a deep breath. ''Hey, Liv, it's Casey. I hate that this happened to you, and as soon as Munch and Fin catch Harris and his accomplice, I will nail their asses to the wall. They will pay for what they did to you and Elliot. Speaking of that man of yours, he is a mess without you. We're trying to make sure that he does what the doctors tell him, but you know how stubborn he is. You've got to come back to him, Liv. He needs you.'' She paused to wipe tears from her face. ''I need you, too, Liv. I've never really had time for any friends I had outside of this job. You have a been a really good friend to me. Possibly my best friend. Just wake up, OK? I've got to go see if El's back from his x-ray. Just hang in there, and wake up. Just wake up, Liv.'' She wiped her face again and left the room, the machines beeping as they helped Liv breathe.

Casey walked back into El's room. He was back, and looking as upset as Casey had ever seen him. She sat down in the chair and asked, ''What did the doctor say?''

Elliot made a face at her. ''I'm fine. No permanent brain damage. They just said they want to keep me overnight for observation. They're worried about what I might do to myself since Liv is IN A DAMN COMA!'' He yelled the last part, making Casey flinch. ''Why did you or Munch or Fin tell me that? The fact that my girlfriend is in a coma is something that I might have wanted to know, dammit!''

Casey was about to reply when Dr. Taylor entered the room. ''Dect. Stabler, did you know your girlfriend is pregnant?'' Both Elliot and Casey gasped. This was news.

Elliot shook his head, feeling numb. If Olivia never woke up, she would take their baby with her. He knew he wasn't going to be able to handle that. ''No, no, I didn't. She hadn't told me yet. She must have been wanting to make sure that she was before she said anything.''

Dr. Taylor said, ''Well, this changes things. We ran another test, to see if there was anything else we might have missed, and we discovered that she's a few days pregnant. We've got to monitor her a lot more closely. It gives her less time to wake up. The baby is still going to grow, and be healthy, as long as she's on the machines, but it will still be better for both Olivia and the baby if she wakes up as soon as possible.''

Elliot tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. ''So what do you propose is done if she doesn't wake up in a day or two?'' This was just the worst thing that could have happened, short of Olivia dying from the stabbing.

Dr. Taylor replied, ''I think that if she doesn't wake up soon, it would be a good idea if you thought about pulling the life support. The longer she stays in the coma, the more likely she'll ever wake up.''

Elliot almost completely broke down again, and Casey thanked Dr. Taylor and ushered him from the room. Elliot sobbed, all the emotion hitting him at once. Olivia was carrying his child, and she was in a coma. He couldn't handle this. He couldn't do this alone. He was actually going to have to let his friends help him. That was a new thing for him, and he wasn't sure if he could do it. But he knew his own strength, and not even he could deal with this by himself. The urge to give up was going to be too strong.

Casey entered the room again, and handed him some tissues. To her great surprise, he buried his head in her shoulder and cried. She put her arms around him and patted his back. She had never seen him like this, but she was glad he was reaching out to her. She would try her best not to let him down.

In the ICU, in Olivia Benson's room, the machines beeped on, as one finger on her hand moved up and then down again...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Elliot woke up at two in the morning, sitting bolt upright and nearly screaming. He had had a nightmare about Olivia. He had dreamed that she had just slipped into a peaceful sleep and never woke up. He tried to calm his pounding heart and got out of bed. He wandered down the hall, pulling his IV behind him. He hoped he'd be able to sneak into Liv's room. He wanted to see her, tell her he was OK. It might help her wake up. He hoped Casey would stay asleep while he was gone, so he wouldn't have to deal with the kind scolding and looks of pity. He carefully peered into the waiting room. No one in sight. He continued on and looked around for a sign telling him where ICU was. He finally saw one and turned right, wondering how odd he must look, wandering around the hospital in a gown and pulling an IV.

He carefully entered, looking around cautiously. Seeing no one again, and wondering if Stephen King had descended upon the hospital, he carefully turned right, figuring he'd check every room until he found Liv. Luckily for him, he didn't have go too far. Fin was standing outside Liv's room, looking very tired. ''Fin, what are you doing?'' El asked, hearing the weariness in his voice.

Fin rubbed his hand over his face. ''I'm keeping watch over Liv's room. During the day, it's not as much of a problem, there's peeps here. In the middle of the night, it's easier for Harris or mystery man to come back.''

El tried to keep the tears of gratitude off his face. It was hard, he was tired and worried. ''Thanks, Fin. I'm really glad that you're here. It means a lot.'' He looked around. ''Yeah, why is there no one here? Don't any of these patients need checking on?''

Fin replied, ''There's one night nurse, and she took a break. All of the other nurses who work night shift are in the pit. I've been here since eleven. What are yo' doin' out o' bed?'' He finally asked, looking more awake.

Elliot swayed a little on his feet from exhaustion, and then said, ''I'm going to talk to Liv. I want to see if maybe I tell her I'm OK, not in any danger, it might help her wake up. She might have given up 'cause she thinks I'm dead. Or hurt or something.'' He paused a moment, and this time, he couldn't keep the tears from his face. ''Fin, she's carrying my child. I have to try this.'' He swiped angrily at his eyes with his free hand.

Fin's eyes about popped out of his head. Jokingly, he said, ''Damn, Stabler, you really know how to knock 'em up, don't you?'' This broke the tension, and they both laughed.

Elliot laughed through his tears. ''Stay here if you want, but I need a minute or two alone with her. Is that cool? You can go and sit over there if you want to be within yelling distance.'' He said, gesturing to some chairs a few feet away.

Fin nodded. ''Sure. I'll be right over here. No one's getting in here, I promise.'' They shared a look, and Elliot hoped his face conveyed how grateful he was that Fin was looking out for the woman he loved. And now, his unborn child.

Elliot, dragging the IV, entered his girlfriend's room. He managed to keep himself from crying again. It was a hard thing, to see Liv hooked up to all those machines. He walked further in after he had gotten over the intial shock, and sat down in the chair next to the bed. She did look way too peaceful, and it reminded Elliot of his nightmare. He composed himself, and said, ''Liv, it's El. I hope you're in there, baby, because I've got some stuff to tell you.'' He paused, and then said, ''Liv, I'm OK. If you're trying to give up because you think that something's seriously wrong with me, then you can get better now. I'm fine. Plus,'' he had to pause, and get up the nerve to say this without breaking down, ''you're pregnant with our baby. You have to wake up. Please, I can't do this without you.'' Elliot stopped talking again, trying to keep himself from breaking down. That wasn't going to convince Livvy that he really was feeling OK. He took a few deep breaths and then said, ''Just wake up, Liv. I can't handle losing you and my child.'' He kissed her softly on the lips, and could swear he felt Liv kiss back, so he did it again. This time, nothing. He sighed and slowly left the room, dejectedly dragging his IV behind him. If he had looked back, he would have seen Olivia's left hand tremble, and then lie still.

Fin was waiting for him outside, looking like he was going to drop on his feet. ''Did anything happen?'' He asked, not really expecting anything to. He just felt that he had to ask.

Elliot shook his head, tears moistening his eyes. ''No, although, I thought when I kissed her, she kissed back. I kissed her again, but nothing the second time. I just want her to wake up. I can't lose her and my child.'' He told his friend.

Fin agreed. ''Yeah, I don't think I could handle that, either. So, I talked to Munch, he said that Lake is terrified that we're going to beat the hell out of him. All he does is sit at his desk and make calls, looking for Harris and his little friend.''

Elliot asked, ''You guys still don't know who Harris' partner is? Fin, they could be anywhere, waiting for the next opportunity to get to Liv. I can't take that chance. It's not just her anymore, she's pregnant with my child!'' Elliot could feel himself getting hysterical, and couldn't help it. It was all aimed at Lake, and he hoped Fin knew that.

Fin folded his arms and counted to ten. He knew who Elliot was really mad at. It was understandable. ''El, don't worry. I think Lake knows. I just can't make him talk. As scared as he is of me, he's even more scared of you. I think he'd tell you. He'd just have to believe that you really want to kill him, or he's not going to talk.''

Elliot said, ''Oh, you bring that bastard here, I'll make him fucking talk.'' He did look menacing, Fin had to think, but he knew Elliot, so he knew that he wasn't really going to kill Lake. Lake had seen him angry before, he could choose to not let it effect him. However, it was worth a shot.

Fin said, ''Let us keep lookin', and then I'll bring him in in the morning. I want to make sure it's when someone is here, so they can watch Liv. Is that cool?''

Elliot nodded. ''Of course. I'm going to get back, before Casey wakes up and raises the alarm.'' He punched Fin's arm lightly and headed back to his room, but not before blowing a kiss towards Liv's room.

The next morning, El awoke, very groggy. He looked around for Casey. She had disappeared. He rubbed his hand over his face and nearly jumped out of his skin when Fin entered the room. ''Hey, El. Casey wanted me to tell you that she had to go to court, but she'll be back this afternoon. Liz Donnelly sends her best wishes, too.''

Elliot, who was still half asleep, said, ''Is that Casey's boss? I didn't know she cared about what happens to Liv and I.'' He took a deep drink of the glass of water beside the bed.

Fin said, ''Kathy's here, and she brought the kids with her. She said she wanted to come last night, but didn't. She didn't say why. Do you want to see her? Eli will be happy to see you.''

Elliot said, ''Send the kids in, but I really don't have to see Kathy. I really _really_ am just too tired and worried about Liv to care that she's hurt that I moved on.'' He added, ''Also, when are they discharging me? I'd like to actually move around with clothes on.''

Fin said, ''I'll ask Dr. Taylor. And don't worry. I'll tell Kathy to stay in the waiting room.'' He turned to go, and then turned quickly back. ''Do I have to be nice about it?''

Elliot smiled weakly. ''Yes, Fin. While I may not want to see her right now, she is the mother of five of my children. Just please kindly ask her to please just stay away.'' He watched as Fin went a little to eagerly to do so. ''Be nice, Odafin Tutuola!'' He called, smiling. Fin was a really good friend.

Fin entered the waiting room, and counted kids. All five of them were there, Eli playing with his mother's hair. ''OK, kids, you can all go in. Kathy, El has asked please that you wait out here. He's really tired, and the kids are all he can handle today.'' Fin's tone was polite, but Kathy could tell by the look on his face that he was glad to be telling her this information.

Kathy received concerned looks from the two older girls. ''Maureen, Kathleen, it's OK if you guys go in, it's your father. He'll want to see you. I'll be fine. Here, Maureen, take Eli. He loves Elliot.'' She handed the baby to her daughter. The older girls didn't look happy to be there, but Dickie and Elizabeth looked worried about their father.

They all traipsed down the hall, heading for Elliot's room. Fin and Kathy were suprised by Huang, who had come to see Elliot and Olivia. ''Hello, Fin.'' Huang said.

Fin said, ''Hey, Doc. You here to see Stabler and Liv?'' He wondered if Kathy had ever met Huang before. He was just deciding he should introduce them when Huang did it for him.

Huang stuck his hand out to Kathy. ''My name is Dr. George Huang. I work with Fin, Elliot, and Olivia. I don't think we've ever met before. Are you here to see Elliot? Olivia's still in ICU, I'm told.'' Fin liked Huang, but he was really not liking Huang's inablility to be anything but polite. He usually was, unless provoked.

Kathy said, ''Yes, but apparently, I'm not wanted.'' She cast a glare at Fin, and then turned back to Huang. ''I'm Kathy, Elliot's ex-wife. I came to see him, but he only wants to see the kids right now.''

Huang sat down next to her. He could see she was upset. ''And how does that make you feel, Kathy? How long were you and Elliot married?'' He asked.

Kathy folded her arms and cast a curious glance at Huang. ''What is it that you do with my ex-husband and his new girlfriend? Because I don't really think that this is the best place to discuss it.''

Huang smiled at her, still being polite. Fin rolled his eyes, but nothing short of an earthquake could have moved him from this very spot. This was going to be interesting. ''I'm a psychologist. I work with them on certain cases. Elliot and Olivia are really happy. I'm not saying this to hurt you, please don't think that. You just look like you need to talk to someone about the situation.'' He personally had seen the love between Olivia and Elliot for years. He had seen it as soon as he had met them. If Kathy had ever seen them interact together, then she had to have seen it, too. Huang thought that it was meant to be. There was nothing that could have stopped it. It was inevitable.

Kathy shrugged. ''I'm fine. I was a little angry at first, but I have been expecting something like this since Elliot and I were seperated. He and I only got back together because of Eli. I've known that for awhile now. I'm really OK.'' She seemed insistant, it could have been the look Huang was giving her. Fin knew it was just his listening expression, but Kathy didn't.

Huang nodded. ''And did you ever ask Elliot about it? It might have made you feel a little better.'' He hadn't expected to be having such a discussion on a day like this, but it was interesting.

Kathy shook her head. ''No, I never wanted to have my suspicions confirmed. I didn't want to hear that he loved her. I already knew. I've seen the looks they've given each other over the years. I had already been made a fool. I didn't want to make it worse.'' She was willing the tears to stay back. She didn't want to cry in front of this man she'd never met.

Fin said, ''Doc, I'm going to go and see how Liv's doing. You want to see her before you talk to Elliot?'' He was glad that Huang had come. He was going to suggest to Dr. Taylor that they let Huang's evaulation count for his psych consultation. Dr. Taylor had spoken to him earlier that morning, and had told him that Elliot was going to need one before he was discharged. Fin just didn't want to tell him that yet. He had to find out a way to tell him gently. El was not going to like that he had to have a psych evaluation. He figured that it might be a little easier if Huang did it. Elliot already knew him.

Huang said, ''Yes. That might be a good idea. I want to see how well Olivia is before I talk to Elliot. I take it you want me to evaluate him for you?'' He had guessed that El would need someone from psych to sign off on him because of the situation.

Fin smiled briefly. ''That's why they gave you the degree. I'm going to make sure Liv hasn't gotten any worse, and then talk to Dr. Taylor. I haven't told El yet that he's going to have to have his head shrunk. I think he'll take it better if you are the one to give it to him, you know?''

Huang nodded. ''Sure. That's fine with me. I'm going to make sure that Kathy's OK. Come and get me when you want me to see Olivia.'' He turned back to Kathy.

Fin headed off to ICU, finding himself praying that by some miracle, Liv had woken up. He knew that El wasn't going to be able to deal with this for much longer before he completely shut down. Not that he blamed him. It was a lot to deal with. He just really wanted Liv to wake up. He had told her that last night before El had come along.

Dr. Taylor was standing outside Liv's room, looking confused. He heard Fin approach and said, ''I'm glad you're here, Fin.'' He was holding Liv's chart.

Fin asked, ''Why? What's going on, Doc?'' He folded his arms. He could feel his heart pounding with anticipation. Maybe Liv had woken up. Was it too much to hope?

Dr. Taylor said, ''There's some brain activity that wasn't there before. I want to get someone that Olivia knows to come back in and talk to her. See if it does anything. I think she's improving.''

Fin said, ''Well, this friend of ours is here to see Liv. He's a psychologist, too. Dr. George Huang. He hasn't seen her yet. Will that work for you?'' If it didn't, he'd just go and get Elliot.

Dr. Taylor nodded. ''Sure, that's fine. I wanted to talk to you about Elliot's evaluation. We don't have anyone free at the moment to do it, and he's not going to be happy with staying any longer. I just don't feel right about discharging him when he's still so distraught. Plus, this is a lot to deal with, and I want to make sure that he's going to be able to handle it.''

Fin said, ''I wanted to talk to you 'bout that, Doc. I was thinking that Huang could do it. Elliot's not going to take lightly to having to endure a psych evaluation, and he knows Huang. He'd be more perceptible to talking to Huang. Is that going to be cool with you guys?''

Dr. Taylor nodded. ''Sure, I know Huang. He and I went to med school together. I'll push the paperwork through for psych. We'll have Huang come and see Olivia first. Why don't you go and see if he's ready.''

Fin nodded and went back to the waiting room where he'd left Huang and Kathy. When he got back, the kids and Kathy had left, and Huang was sitting patiently, reading a magazine. ''Hey, Doc, you can go and see Olivia now.''

Huang put down the magazine. ''Then I'm talking to Elliot, right?'' He stood up. He didn't mind talking to Elliot. He did want to make sure that he was OK.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: OK, if ya'll haven't noticed yet, this MY version of the season finale. They totally fucked it up. El would never have been that pissed about Lake, because it makes no sense that he would have told them about his case, because he didn't know them that well. Why would he just tell them about it? Not to mention, even if Elliot would have gotten angry, he never would have dumped Fin's phone like that. And Fin never would have asked for a transfer. He and Elliot just would have had a fight after not speaking to each other for awhile. And Casey NEVER would have done that to win a case. She has always done whatever she could, but she would never have done something that would have caused her to be suspended. And no one really cares about Lake, that's why I didn't even know his fucking name on the show until I looked Adam Beach up. So ha!**_

Chapter Three

Huang walked into Olivia's room, looking around in awe. She was so peaceful. He never would have imagined something like this would have happened to her. He had been surprised to hear that Olivia was pregnant. That was a nice little development. He was interested to see how Elliot was going to handle that. He was sure that he knew, but he was wondering how he was dealing with the information. He took Olivia's hand. ''Hello, Olivia. It's George Huang. I'm here to see you, to see how you're doing. Dr. Taylor says that you're doing a little better. He says that there's some brain activity that wasn't there before. This is after Elliot came to see you. I'm just wondering if we can talk about Elliot for a bit. I want to see how you respond to that.''

He pulled out a notebook, to write down what happened when he brought up a particular topic. He was going to record if there was any changes in her at all. ''So, they're going to make Elliot have a psych evaluation because they're worried about his mental state. They don't think he's crazy, they just want to see how he's handling the fact that you're pregnant. They want to make sure that he's dealing with it like he should be.'' He paused, to look at Olivia more closely. See if there were any physical changes. He was pleasantly surprised to see her eyelids fluttering.

''I myself have not spoken to him yet, Liv, but after we're done here, I will be talking to him. Fin asked me if I would do the evaluation, since Elliot knows me and will talk to me easier than he would someone else. I have to say, I am interested to see how he's doing. I know how long you have been waiting to be together, and I can't imagine that this is easy for either of you. I am sure that you would rather just be at home with him, celebrating your good fortune, than be wherever it is you are right now. I want that for you, too. But you've got to keep responding, because then maybe you'll wake up.'' He paused again, to see if she had done anything in response to that. He was rewarded with her hand moving up and down.

Delighted, he left the room telling her that he would be right back. He had them page Dr. Taylor, and was glad when he arrived as quickly as he could. ''Dave, I'm pleasantly surprised. She's responding when you mention anything about Elliot. Even just his name seems to have results. So after I speak to him, I'm going to suggest that he speak to her again.''

Dr. Taylor seemed to be a little relieved. ''That is very good news, George. I am behind that plan one hundred percent.'' Sastified with George's plan, he headed off down the hall.

Huang told Olivia where he was going, and headed off to Elliot's room. He was looking exasperated. Casey was telling him that he had to be patient. ''Hello, Elliot. I am here to do your psych evaluation.'' He said, entering the room.

Elliot looked pissed. ''My WHAT?'' He asked loudly, setting a glare on Casey. ''Why didn't you or Fin tell me about this?'' He asked, and Huang was glad that he wasn't Fin or Casey.

Casey said, ''We weren't sure how to tell you. Fin decided that he would see if Huang could give it to you, since you know him already. The hospital isn't going to release you until you have been evaluated. They want to make sure that you're going to be able to handle the situation.'' She had chosen her words carefully.

Elliot rolled his eyes. ''OK, whatever. I will do whatever I can to make sure that I can be there for Liv.'' That was all he said, and Huang was pleasantly surprised.

Huang asked Casey if it was alright he speak with Elliot alone, and got out the notebook again. He asked, ''So, let's start with how you feel today.''

Elliot seemed to hesitate. ''I guess I'm OK. I am worried a lot about Liv. I want her to wake up, because it's not just her anymore. She's carrying my child. Plus, I feel this ache inside that isn't going to go away until I can hold her in my arms again.''

Huang didn't expect such an honest answer. ''And how do long do you plan to wait before you make a decision about Liv and the baby?'' He wanted to make sure that Elliot understood the gravity of the situation.

Elliot sighed. ''I haven't really thought about it yet. I know that it's something that may have to be dealt with. I understand how serious it is.'' He looked at Huang. ''George, you've known me for a really long time. Do you really think that this is something that I can't handle? I mean, seriously?'' He paused. ''Can I see Livvy now? I know you've talked to her. I want to try to talk to her again.''

George looked into his crystal clear blue eyes and saw a man who was suffering, but clearly all there. He would be able to handle this. He said, ''Well, let me tell you that I think she's going to wake up. I was talking to her about you, and that got me some responses. I want you to talk to her and I want to see what she does. Will that be alright with you if I observe?''

Elliot didn't care, not if it could help Livvy. ''Of course. Anything that is going to help Livvy I am all for.'' He added, ''I would really like to see her in some actual clothes. Did Fin go to get me something to wear?''

Speaking of the devil, he stuck his head into the room. ''El, I have yo' something to wear.'' He stopped speaking at the looks on El and Huang's faces. ''What? I thought you might need something to wear other than that hospital gown.'' He was bewildered as Elliot started to laugh. It felt so good to let it loose.

After he had calmed down, Huang and Fin left the room so he could get dressed. He pulled on the jeans which just happened to be his favorites and yanked the NYPD tee shirt over his head. He had a beginning with Liv, he wanted a middle. He wanted it all. He just couldn't lose her now. He wiped tears away from his face and carefully headed into the hall. He didn't want to be sad while he was talking to Livvy.

Casey was with Fin and Huang when he reached the waiting room. She was holding Elliot's discharge papers. ''I'm working on getting you officially discharged. The only problem with that is, you won't be able to stay here 24/7 with Liv.'' She told him.

Elliot looked at her. ''I can't? I bet you I can. Dr. Taylor and that one nurse are scared of me. I bet you I will get around those visiting hour rules. You underestimate my power of intimidation, Case.'' He winked at her.

Casey laughed and shook her head. ''You're right, Stabler. Anyway, I'm going to have Fin finish this because I have to get back and help Munch. He thinks he's got Lake ready to crack. Munch is very scary when you really get him pissed off.'' She said.

Fin took the papers from Casey and kissed her cheek before she gave El a tight hug and took off, carrying her briefcase. He said, ''Go and see yo' woman, El.'' He sat down and got to work finishing the paperwork.

Elliot grinned and headed off to ICU. When they got there, nurses were in Liv's room. He panicked and entered, ignoring a nurse telling him he had to leave. He sat down and grabbed Liv's hand. He was amazed to discover she was grabbing back. ''Liv.'' He said, squeezing tightly.

Dr. Taylor was in the room, too, ordering the nurses around and looking at Liv's chart. ''Elliot, I think maybe your girlfriend is trying to wake up. We were coming in to check on her, and the machines were going crazy.''

Elliot carefully turned his girlfriend's face in his direction. He got very close to her ear and whispered, ''I'm not finished loving you. You have to wake up. I want to love you for the rest of our lives. Please, wake up, Liv.'' He kissed her as deeply as he could, and amazingly, he felt her kissing back.

Olivia took a deep breath when he pulled back, and opened her eyes. She was surprised to find herself in a hospital, surrounded by doctors. She ignored all that and concentrated on Elliot's hand gripping hers. ''What happened?'' She asked, looking into his deep blue eyes.

Elliot smiled through his tears as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. ''I love you so much, baby.'' He avoided telling her what happened. He wasn't sure right now was the right time to tell her everything.

Olivia was getting flashes coming back to her. ''Was I stabbed? Were we in my apartment? Did Lake call?'' She asked, and after a moment, added, ''And you better be straight with me, Elliot Stabler. I will hurt you.''

Elliot couldn't keep the tears from streaming down his face as he buried his head in her neck. He was so glad to have her back. He held her to him for a moment, and then came up for air. He turned to Dr. Taylor. ''So what does this mean? Is the baby going to be OK?''

Olivia's eyes widened at that, but she watched Dr. Taylor's face. He seemed to be confused that she had awakened. She was still holding onto Elliot's hand, and she felt it squeeze hers. ''We have a baby?'' She asked, drawing his attention to her.

Dr. Taylor finally smiled. ''Yes, Olivia, you do. I think that it should be fine, I want to run a couple of tests to be sure. I'm going to keep you overnight for observation. You gave us quite a scare, young lady.'' He told her.

Olivia turned to meet Elliot's eyes. His blue orbs were still sparkling with tears. She kissed him on the lips and put her hand on his face. ''You didn't lose me, I'm still here.'' She said, feeling tears filling her own eyes. She added, ''I'm not finished loving you.'' This made them both cry harder, and she sat up in the bed and wrapped her arms around him.

Fin had come to see how Olivia was, and ran into the nurses and doctors leaving the room, to give the couple some room. Fin watched in the window. They looked so happy and relieved. He pulled out his cell phone to call Munch. ''Hey, John, it's Fin. Liv woke up. Isn't that great?''

Meanwhile, Dect. Chester Lake was sneaking out of the Manhattan SVU precinct, carrying a yellow envelope. He was going to meet Harris and his partner. He was taking them something that they had asked for. He was trying to keep them from attacking Olivia again. Harris had called his cell phone. He had sounded really angry that Elliot had been with Olivia at her apartment. He had kept saying that Olivia was his and no one else's. He wanted Lake to bring him all the information on Elliot he could give him. Lake of course, had done nothing of the sort. There was nothing in the envelope. He just wanted Harris to think that there was.

He reached his car and started it up. He was heading to an abandoned warehouse by the docks. Harris and his partner were hiding out there. He had also been instructed to bring them food. This, he had done. There were some sandwhiches and a couple of cans of Coke. He reached the building in about twenty-five minutes, and carefully got out of his car. He really hoped that they wouldn't take his badge for this. He could and probably would get in a lot of trouble if he lived through it.

Lake knocked twice on the door, and after a moment or two, he was let in by Merritt Rook, Harris' mystery partner. Lake handed over the sandwhiches, but clutched onto the empty folder. ''Where's Harris?'' He asked nervously.

Rook looked Lake over. He had been hearing about this young detective, mostly from Harris, so he knew it was mostly bullshit. Harris liked to talk a big game, but there was no intelligence behind any of his plans. That's why Rook had decided to team with him. He had heard of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler through the prison system, and wanted to see if he could beat them at their own game. He figured that they must be very good detectives, every prisoner he met that had been incarcerated because of them really seemed to want them dead. Now he answered Lake's question. ''Harris is right over there. He wants to talk to you.'' He knew Harris was planning to kill Lake. He had advised him against it, because sooner or later, someone would notice that Lake was gone, but there was no arguing with Harris. He fancied himself in charge. He wasn't, but he thought he was.

Lake took one last look at Rook and headed farther into the warehouse. He saw Harris standing there, holding a gun. Lake immediately dropped the envelope and pulled his own gun. ''What are you doing, Harris? I thought you wanted to talk?'' He asked.

Harris grinned sadistically at him. ''I want to kill you. I know you didn't bring me that information on Stabler like I thought you would. I had Merritt here asking around. He found out that you're a bit scared of Stabler. He also was able to get me the information I needed, so you're useless to me.'' He walked closer. ''Merritt, go start up that car we've got out back. We're changing hideouts again. I don't want to stay here with a dead body.'' Before Lake could react, Harris shot him twice, once in the heart, and once in the head. He looked at Meritt, who was a little rattled, but he had known it was coming, so he wasn't surprised. Harris said, ''I wanted to make sure he was dead.'' He pulled Lake's gun out of his hand and they headed off to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next morning, Lake was officially missing. No one had seen him. Fin had come to the precinct, to get him. Elliot hadn't wanted to leave Olivia, so he was bringing him to the hospital, so they could get the name of Harris' partner out of him. Fin looked to Munch's desk. ''John, you seen Lake today? I'ma let Elliot have a crack at him.''

Munch looked up from his desk. He had been talking to the prison guards from Rikers all day. ''I don't think so. No one's seen him since yesterday.'' He went back to the phone.

Fin muttered, ''You'd think he'da checked in.'' He went over to Lake's desk. He wanted to see if maybe Lake had written any notes or anything that might lead him to where he was. He wasn't answering his cell. He was rewarded with an address. He knew where it was, too. It was down by the docks.

He told Munch where he was going and headed out to his car. He called Elliot on his way. ''El, it's Fin. Lake wasn't at the precinct. I'ma heading where he was last was. I'll bring 'im when I find 'im.'' He hung up and headed off to the docks.

When he got to the warehouse, he carefully pulled his gun. He hadn't been sure what Lake had been up to, so he was going to be prepared. There was no one outside, but he saw tire tracks leading out onto the road. Someone had left in a hurry. He just hoped it was Lake, and not Harris and the mystery man. He slowly entered the building, and not long after he was in, he found Lake's body. He immediately called Cragen.

About a half an hour later, the ME and Cragen and a bunch of other cops and CSU were swarming around. Cragen had instructed everyone to call through cell phones so they wouldn't have the media swarming around, too. He didn't want to deal with them just yet. Fin shook his head. ''I am willing to bet that Harris and the mystery partner did this. And dey screwed us, because Lake still hadn't told us who he was, too.'' Fin told Munch.

Munch said, ''Are we sure that he didn't go and see Liv before he came here? If he did, he may have told her who it was. I highly doubt it, but it's worth checking into. Let's go and see Liv and ask her. We should tell El and Liv anyway.''

Fin agreed. ''Let's go.'' He told Cragen where they were going and headed off to the hospital. He didn't think that Elliot was going to be too upset. He wasn't thinking that Elliot wanted Lake dead by any means, but he wasn't going to miss him, that's for sure. Liv would, no matter what Lake had or hadn't done, Liv was a little less stubborn than Elliot about these things.

They headed off to Liv's room. She had been moved from ICU, since she was out of the woods. Elliot had called earlier to tell them she'd probably be going home that day. They found her and Elliot laughing about something when they entered the room. Liv stopped as she saw the looks on their faces. ''What's going on, you guys?'' She asked.

Fin said, ''We've got some news, ya'll.'' He sat down in the other chair by Olivia's bed. ''El, Liv, when I couldn't find Chester this morning, there was a reason. He was murdered sometime last night. Did he come and see you at all last night?''

Liv's eyes filled with tears and she shook her head, but Elliot seemed to be in shock. ''Not that I saw. Do you guys think that Harris and the mystery guy did it?'' She asked, holding tightly to Elliot's hand.

Munch shrugged. ''We're not completely one hundred percent sure, but most likely. He disappeared last night and didn't tell anyone where he was going. We only found him so quickly because Fin found the address for the place he had gone on his desk.''

Liv wiped her eyes and said, ''So we still don't know who Harris' accomplice is?'' She was letting herself get too involved, and Elliot shot her a look. She wasn't getting into this. She was going home and resting.

Fin caught the look Elliot had shot Liv, and he turned to look at her. ''Olivia Benson, yo' don worry 'bout it. Munch and I will catch this guy. We've got it under control. I want yo' and El to go home and take it easy. I want yo' to rest, Liv. You've got Little Baby Benson-Stabler to worry about now.''

Olivia smiled at Fin. ''Don't worry, Tutuola. I plan to do just that. I'm going to let my man take care of me. I don't need him to, but I know he wants to.'' She gave him a salty kiss.

Munch and Fin stayed a couple more minutes and left, on the search for Harris. Elliot gave Liv another kiss. ''Do you miss Chester?'' He asked, not sure if he really wanted the answer. He felt they should talk about it.

Olivia gripped his hand a little tighter. ''I can't say that I'm not upset about what happened, but he was still my friend, Elliot. I worked with him more than you did. He was a really nice guy. We went on a couple of stakeouts together. He let me have all the fortune cookies.'' She started to cry again.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her as she cried. He wasn't really that upset about it. He hadn't wished death on Lake, he wasn't going to miss him. He felt that he was indirectly responsible for him nearly losing his girlfriend and his child. He just couldn't bring himself to be upset about it. He understood why Liv was, though. She could look past things more easily than he could. She was stubborn, but not nearly as stubborn as he was.

Olivia stopped crying and pulled back, so she could wipe her eyes with a tissue. ''I'm going to miss him. He died because of _me_. Harris is after _me_. Lake was just trying to keep me safe, El. He died protecting me.'' Her brown eyes looked sorrowful.

Elliot kissed her lightly on the forehead. ''Olivia, this isn't your fault. Lake was the one who chose to keep tabs on Harris and get himself all mixed up in it. You didn't ask Lake to do anything. He did it himself. The thought behind it was a good idea, but he should have told us instead of trying to handle it all himself. You are not to blame for this. Olivia Benson, if I hear you say that one more time, I will have to do something drastic. I just don't know what yet.''

Olivia smiled. He always knew just what to say. Even if what he said pissed her off. ''You always know just what to say.'' She told him, giving him a kiss lightly on the lips. ''Now, where's Dr. Taylor? I want to know if I can go home yet.'' She said, making the cutest face.

Elliot kissed her again. ''You stay here, I'll go find out.'' He left the room, and headed off down the hall. Taylor had already done all the tests he had wanted to do, so Elliot was wondering himself what the holdup was. He spotted Livvy's favorite nurse, Leigh, and flagged her down. ''Leigh, Liv wants to know when she's going home.'' He said.

Leigh said, ''Hold on, Elliot. Let me get her chart.'' She led him to the nurses' station and began looking for Liv's chart. ''Did Dr. Taylor not speak to you yet?'' She asked as she was hunting.

Elliot replied, ''No. He did Liv's tests _really_ early this morning, and then disappeared. We haven't seen him all day. It's nearly two o'clock and Livvy seems fine to me. What else needs to be done? She wants to go home. We both do.'' He didn't need to tell Leigh that. She knew that.

Leigh said, ''Well, I don't see anything else that he has scheduled, so let me page him and he can tell you himself what's going on, because I don't know. I'll go and check on Liv while you're waiting.'' She paged Dr. Taylor and headed off to Liv's room, touching El's arm on the way.

Elliot didn't have to wait long. Dr. Taylor appeared about five minutes later. ''Dr. Taylor, when can I take my girlfriend home? She really wants to get home to her own bed.''

Dr. Taylor picked up Liv's chart and held it, looking at it for a minute, and then went and got Olivia's test results. ''I wanted to make sure that there wasn't any permanent brain damage from the coma. I also wanted to make triple sure that the baby was fine. Things look OK. She is perfectly fine to go home. I can't find anything else wrong with her. So go ahead and have Nurse Leigh give you the discharge papers and take her home.''

Elliot thanked Dr. Taylor, and he headed off back to Liv's room to let Leigh know. When he walked into the room, the girls were laughing. ''I'm glad that you're having such a good time.'' He said, smiling.

Olivia smiled back. ''Hey, baby. Leigh and I were just having some girl talk. Did Dr. Taylor say that I can go home?'' She took his hand as he stood by the bed.

Elliot nodded. ''Yes. Leigh, he said that you should get the discharge paperwork so I can take Livvy home.'' Leigh absolutely loved Elliot and Olivia. She had never seen a cuter couple in her life. Not even on tv.

Leigh grinned at them. ''Well, that's just great news. Let me go get that for you. I'll be right back.'' She headed on back to the nurses' station, leaving them alone again. Elliot began to fill out the paper, glad that he already knew all of Olivia's information. She got out of bed carefully and began to dress in some of the clothes that Casey had brought. Olivia loved Fin, but she hadn't trusted him to get her things that matched. She trusted that job to Casey.

It only took a few minutes to fill out the forms and Elliot took them back to the nurses' station. He smiled at Leigh as he approached. ''Can I take Livvy home now?'' He asked as he handed the forms to her.

Leigh nodded. ''Yes, I'm going to come with you. Do you think she'd let me push her in a wheelchair?'' She asked, as she went to grab one. She didn't want Olivia to rush it. She had been in a coma for a couple of days, and she might be sore.

Elliot said, ''I think we can manage that. I want to make sure that she takes it easy for a little while. Don't worry.'' He followed Leigh back down the hall to Livvy's room.

It took a little bit of cajoling and a kiss from Elliot, but Olivia finally got into the chair. Elliot called Casey and made sure that she was waiting outside and gathered up their things. It didn't take them long to get back to the apartment, and Casey helped them get up to their floor. She even stayed for lunch.

About four in the afternoon, Fin stopped by for a minute. ''Liv, it's good to see yo' home.'' He told her, after giving her a brief hug. ''I just came to see that yo' got home safely.''

Olivia smiled at him. She was planted on the couch, holding a Playstation controller. She and Elliot had been playing basketball. It had been a blast. Liv had been kicking his ass. ''Yeah, El and I have been playing video games since Casey went home. El hasn't won anything yet.'' She gently teased.

Fin laughed. ''That's great, Liv. I myself can kick some ass at football. Just ask Munch.'' He sat down on the armchair by the couch. He asked Elliot, ''How much she beat yo' by?''

Elliot's face was slightly pink as Olivia smiled and laughed. ''Well, the first game it was by twenty points, and the other games we played, she beat me by more than that. I'm better at the actual sport, rather than the video game.''

Fin laughed again. ''Right, Stabler, right.'' He smiled at Liv. ''Good job, Liv. He needs to be beat at something every now and then.'' He laughed again as El gave him a look.

Olivia started to get up. Elliot stopped her. ''Elliot Stabler, I am not an invalid. I can walk and get things for myself.'' She set her look of determination on him. Fin watched happily. They were quite entertaining and always had been.

Elliot pinned her down on the couch. ''I know you can, but I want to take care of you, and you are going to let me, Olivia Benson. Now, tell me what you want and let me get it for you!'' He said, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Olivia tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help it. ''I can't say no to you when you make that face at me.'' She said, letting loose with the giggles. She gave in. ''I just want something to drink, baby.''

Elliot kissed her again and said, ''Now, was that so hard?'' He ducked quickly as she lobbed a sofa cushion at his head. Laughing, he headed into the kitchen to get her some Pepsi or something.

Fin followed him, checking behind him to make sure that Liv had stayed out in the living room. ''El, I wanted to tell yo' that we finally found out the name of Harris' accomplice.'' He said in a low voice.

Elliot got a glass down from the cupboard. ''Is it someone we've put away before?'' He asked, as he began pouring a can of Pepsi into the glass.

Fin shook his head. ''No. His name's Merritt Rook. He was cell mates with Harris in jail, and he knew some of the other perps we've put away. He's pretty smart. We just don't know why he's helping Harris get to Liv. We found him 'cause Rook was going around, asking about you.'' He said this carefully.

Elliot finished pouring at looked at him sharply. ''What the hell was he asking about me for?'' He tried to keep his voice down. He didn't want Liv worrying about the case.

Fin shrugged. ''I don't know, but we just better be careful. If I were yo', I'd wait until we finish this case to come back to work. I don't think that Harris and Rook are going to come back here, but ya'll better lay low.'' He paused for a second at the look on El's face. ''Look, I know ya'll are capable of taking care of yo'selves, but this guy Rook is pretty smart. We don't know what he's going to do. Plus, this Harris guy got the drop on Lake. They aren't the run of the mill guys we usually have to deal wit.''

Elliot hated to admit it, but Fin was right. He was going to have to keep a really good eye on Livvy. ''I guess you're right, Fin. Trust me, Harris isn't getting near her again.''

Meanwhile, Harris and Rook were sitting outside Kathy's in Queens, deciding just the right time to go inside. They wanted Kathy. Harris was also planning on leaving little Eli right on Stabler's new doorstep, so he would know what had happened to his little ex-wife. Rook wasn't sure about this plan, he didn't want to kill anyone. He just couldn't find a way to talk Harris out of it.

Harris slipped carefully out of the car as the subject in question came outside, planning on working in the yard. Eli was sitting on the porch in his car seat. He pulled a knife from his pocket and slipped his hood over his face. It was over pretty quickly. She didn't even have time to scream. He grabbed Eli up and stuck him in the backseat of the car.

They left the baby outside Olivia and Elliot's door with a note. Harris knocked on the door and quickly got back down to where they had parked the car. He was just getting started with getting his revenge.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Elliot opened the door to find his son sitting there, gurgling away in his car seat, and instantly wondered what the hell was going on. Kathy hadn't called to tell him he was bringing him over, so this was highly out of the blue. He picked up his child and brought him into the apartment. He placed the car seat on the table and handed the baby to Olivia. ''I've got to call Kathy. She's not here, and she hasn't called saying that she was bringing the baby over here.''

Olivia held Eli close to smell his baby scent. She wondered what had happened. El was right, that was odd that Kathy hadn't called. She looked to Fin. ''What do you think this is?'' She asked him.

Fin looked to Elliot, who was getting pissed. He hadn't been able to reach Kathy on her cell. ''What do you think happened, El? This could be Harris. He knows you and Olivia are together, and if he thinks Liv's his, he could have decided to take Kathy to get you out of the picture.''

Elliot called Kathy's house phone one more time, and didn't get anything. He pissed. ''What if Harris and his mystery man killed her and it was in front of my son? What if Dickie and Liz were home?'' He tried to keep himself from crying. He was too mad to cry.

Fin said, ''Let me find out. You need to stay here with the baby. Just in case something happened, Eli's going to need you here. You're not supposed to be back at work anyway.'' He said this for Liv's benefit, because he and Elliot shared a look, which meant that they both knew that Fin was going to be the one to check this one out.

Olivia shook her head. ''No, if he's not going just to keep an eye on me, then he can go. I can take care of myself. Harris won't get in here again.'' She knew that Elliot was just trying to keep her safe, but it was so damn annoying.

Elliot shared another look with Fin, and then turned to Liv. ''Livvy, Fin's right. I need to stay here. You are hardly at your best, you just got out of the damn hospital, and that son of a bitch is the one who put you there. He put us both there. If something's happened to Kathy, the kids are going to need us, and we won't be able to be there for them if I'm working on this. It's not just to take care of you.'' He hoped that would work. He didn't want her to figure out that he and Fin were keeping something from her. It was for her own good, but she wouldn't see it that way. To his shock, she accepted that.

Olivia nodded. ''I guess you're right. I have to say, though, it's likely that something _did_ happen to her, because why else would Eli be here and she not have called?'' She looked to both Fin and Elliot, both looking worried and silently agreeing with her.

Fin headed out to Queens, calling John on the way. He pulled up in front of Elliot's ex-wife's home and got out. Almost immediately, he saw the body and tried to keep his insides from coming out. He checked her to make sure she was dead, and then called the Captain and CSU. Then, while he was waiting for them to get there, he headed inside to make sure that none of the other kids were home. Thankfully, they were not. He headed back outside and sat down on the porch. He called John back. ''John, it's me. Kathy was killed. I think Harris and Rook did this. Especially since Rook was askin' 'round about El.''

Munch was inclined to agree. He was on his own way to Queens. ''I agree with you. I spent the day talking to guards from Rikers and trying to pinpoint where they might have gone and got nothing, so there was no way that we could have stopped this. All we knew was that he was asking around about Elliot. We couldn't have predicted that he was going to kill Kathy.''

Fin replied, ''I know, it just kills me that we haven't been able to stop 'em. Oh, yeah, did I tell yo' that the reason we think this is because Eli was on Liv and El's doorstep?''

Munch figured Fin was tired, because he had. ''Yeah, you did. Do we think that it could have happened in front of him?'' He hoped not. Eli was just a baby, but that could case trauma in later years.

Fin said, ''Yeah, that is a possibility, in fact, that's probably what happened, 'cause I checked out da house, and no one else was here. It looks like she was outside gardening, and they got here out here. Eli was probably sitting nearby, 'cause he was in his carseat when he was dropped at El and Liv's.''

Munch said, ''Well, hang tight, I'll be there soon. CSU will probably beat me there.'' They hung up and he concentrated on driving.  
He was right, CSU arrived about twenty minutes after they had hung up. Fin was sitting quietly on the porch, looking really pissed off. He hadn't wanted to move, he couldn't see Kathy as well from where he was sitting. CSU went to work, and a few minutes later, Cap and Munch showed up. The reporters weren't far behind. He got up as Munch approached. ''So, what's our next move, John?'' He asked.

Munch said, ''I'm not sure.'' He went over to Warner, to ask her what she thought the cause of death was. ''So, Melinda, what do you think killed Kathy?'' He asked.

Melinda said, ''I think it was probably a knife, and she hasn't been dead long. Maybe an hour or two. I'll know more once I get her to the lab.'' She stood up and lowered her voice so only Munch could hear her. ''Were she and Olivia at odds?'' She didn't really think that Olivia had killed her, but she had to ask.

Munch met her gaze head on. ''Of course not. Well, there had been a little bit of animosity lately, because Elliot and Olivia are together, but she was just getting home from the hospital. Melinda, she didn't do this. We think it was most likely Lowell Harris and his mystery man.'' They were going to great lengths to keep Rook's identity secret. They wanted to keep it from Liv at all costs. They didn't want her worrying about the case.

Melinda nodded. ''OK. I just had to know. I'll call you and Fin when I find out more.'' She headed back to her car, so she could head back to the lab.

Munch went back to Fin. He didn't want to betray Melinda's confidence, but he had to tell him, because it was so laughable. ''Hey, Fin. Guess what Mel just asked me?'' He said, in a low voice.

Fin looked at him a little curiously. ''What, did she ask you out or something?'' He asked, making his partner laugh.

Munch smiled. ''No, nothing like that. I couldn't get so lucky. No, she asked me if Olivia and Kathy were at odds.'' He watched as Fin registered this information. ''Like Olivia could have done it even if she hadn't been coming home from the hospital.''

Fin said, ''John, we know that Olivia didn't do this. You didn't have defend her to Melinda.'' He changed the subject. ''So do we have any idea where Rook and Harris would have gone? We have to get them, John. I don't want Olivia to always have to look over her shoulder.''

Munch nodded. ''I know, Fin. You don't have to stress the importance of this to me. I want to get these guys just as badly as you do. One of my best friends was in a coma and the other had his head nearly bashed in with a baseball bat. I understand the situation.''

Fin said, ''OK, calm down, Munch. There's no reason for us to be fighting about this. We just need to find Harris. So, back to my question. Do we have any idea where they might be?''

Munch shook his head. ''No, we don't. And before we tell Elliot, we'd better.'' He wasn't looking forward to telling Elliot what had happened to his ex-wife. He wasn't so sure that they should put it off, however.

Fin seemed to have read his mind. ''I think we should tell 'em now. I mean, Dickie and Elizabeth could be coming home at any minute. I want to tell Elliot and Liv so they can deal with the kids. Let's go. We just won't tell them anything about Harris and Rook. Oh, and John, I filled Elliot in on Rook, what we know, but I didn't tell Olivia. I know yo' know we weren't planning on it, I'm just reminding yo'.'' He hoped John wouldn't take that differently than what he meant and get angry.

Thankfully, he didn't. ''I know, Fin. It'll be cool. Let's go. I'll follow you back to Manhattan.'' They headed off to make the long drive to El and Liv's apartment. This wasn't going to be easy.

Elliot and Olivia were watching Eli gurgle away in his car seat. Elliot was going to go and get some things from Kathy's when they knew what was going on. He was preparing himself for Kathy's death. He was sure that it had happened, more sure than he had ever been about anything in his life, except wanting to be with Olivia. They hadn't said much since Fin had left. Olivia was watching him, wondering what was going on in his head. He had to be worried about Kathy. She was, too.

Fin used his key and they entered the apartment. Elliot and Olivia looked up in surprise. ''I didn't want you to have to get up or whatever. I wasn't sure what you were doing.'' He explained.

Elliot's eyes had already filled with tears, and he looked very stoic. ''She's dead, isn't she?'' He asked, as Olivia wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder.

Fin nodded. ''Yeah, I'm sorry, man. We are pretty certain it was Harris. His mystery man was goin' 'round asking questions about Elliot.'' He hadn't wanted to mention that, because then Olivia would know, but it was out of his hands. Olivia would have asked why Harris had killed Kathy. It couldn't be helped.

Olivia's own eyes filled with tears. ''He's not going to stop until I'm dead, is he? Now he's going after the people close to Elliot to get to us, to get to me. I can't let this happen.'' She sobbed on Elliot's shoulder and he wrapped her in his solid embrace.

Munch tried not to let his emotions get the best of him as he sat down in the armchair next to the couch. ''Listen, Liv, I want you to stay here with Elliot, and Eli now, and you guys be here for him and his siblings. I want to catch Harris, but I don't want you anywhere near him when we do. We're going to catch him, Liv. But I need you here. I need to know you're safe or I won't be able to be my best.'' He could feel his eyes filling with tears as he spoke.

Liv pulled back from Elliot so she could look at her friend. ''John, I will do whatever you need me to do.'' She squeezed his hand, and wiped her eyes with her other hand.

Fin said, ''We're going to get going. We have to go and see if we can find 'em, there's a couple of leads we can follow. Come on, Munch.'' He wanted to get going and find these bastards. He didn't want to ever see Liv in that kind of pain ever again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The next day, Elliot had headed back to Queens to get some of Eli's stuff. He had also told the kids to come over to Olivia's when they could get a chance, because they had something super important to tell them. He had also made sure that they weren't going to the house in Queens, so they wouldn't find out about Kathy before he could tell them.

Casey was visiting Liv at the apartment. She had also wanted to see Eli. ''Hey, so what happens now? Are you and Elliot going to get a bigger place? You're going to have to have a place for Dickie and Liz, too.'' She said.

Olivia nodded. ''I know. El doesn't want to keep the place in Queens. He doesn't want the kids to remember that that was where Kathy died. He's calling a real estate agent today while he's out there. He's getting some of Eli's stuff.''

Casey had called in sick that day so she could help Elliot and Olivia out. There wasn't much she could do about Harris and Rook yet. They were still looking for them. She wanted to be there for her friends. Especially since Olivia had just gotten out of a coma and now had a baby to help take care of. ''So, when are you and Elliot going to be getting engaged?''

Olivia looked at her. ''I don't know. We haven't talked about that since we found out about Baby Benson Stabler. There's a lot going on, Case. I don't expect him to ask yet. I think we're definitely headed towards that, but it's not anywhere in the distant future. I'd be surprised if he asked right now.''

Speaking of Elliot, he was just finishing on gathering up Eli's things. He'd grabbed as much as he could, and the crib. He'd had to dismantle it, and it wasn't going to fit in his car. He was just pulling out his phone to call Fin when he showed up. ''What are you doing out here?'' He asked, surprised.

Fin said, ''I'ma wondering what yo're doin' out here. It's still a crime scene.'' He figured Elliot was just getting some of Eli's stuff, but he couldn't just linger. They were still checking on it.

Elliot tried not to get angry. He knew how hard Fin was working to find Harris and Rook. ''I had to get some of Eli's things. We have to take care of him now, and he's still a baby, we need baby clothes and diapers and stuff.'' He could feel tears stinging his eyes. He hadn't really cried yet. He felt he should have cried by now. He knew Livvy was just waiting for him to. She was waiting for him to completely break down, and he didn't want to do that. He wanted to be strong for his kids. ''I actually need your help. Eli's crib won't fit in my car, even being dismantled. Will it fit in yours?''

Fin took a glance at it. It was sitting on the porch. ''Sure, it should. Yo' need anything else?'' He asked. He could tell Elliot was barely keeping it together.

Elliot said, ''Actually, I need you to come to a jewelry store and help me pick out an engagement ring for Livvy.'' He went to pick up one side of the crib.

Fin went to help him, and he couldn't say that he was surprised that Elliot was wanting to get a ring. ''Yo' aren't plannin' on axin' her anytime soon, are yo'?'' He asked, hoping that his friend would say no.

Elliot said, ''No, of course not. I'm just going to get it. I'll ask her soonish. I want to make sure that the kids will be handling Kathy's death OK before I spring more information on them. We aren't planning on telling them about the baby yet, either.''

They finished loading Eli's crib into Fin's car, and headed back to Manhattan. Elliot called a real estate agent on the way and made an appointment for the following afternoon. He also called a funeral home to make arrangements for Kathy. It would still be a couple of days, Melinda was still doing all her tests. Then they went to a ring store, and Elliot found something beautiful that thankfully, he could make payments on. They let him take it, though. It was a beautiful 14 carat diamond with a gold band. It was very simple and elegant, just like Livvy. He thought she'd love it. He slipped it into his jacket pocket, making a mental note to move it somewhere else, because Liv liked to wear his jackets.

Fin helped him carry everything up to the apartment, and they found the girls watching Eli bouncing around in his car seat. Olivia hadn't had anything else to put him in. Luckily, Elliot had also brought his swing. He placed it on the floor by the couch and put his son in it. ''He loves that thing.'' He said, as he gave Olivia a kiss.

Elliot asked, ''You didn't have any other visitors while I was gone, did you?'' He leaned all the crib parts against the living room wall. He'd put it together in a little while, before Eli's nap.

Olivia shook her head. ''No, but Maureen called, and she said that she and Kathleen are going to pick the twins up from school, and then they'll be over. I think they might have an idea that something's up. It wasn't in the papers this morning, was it?''

Elliot shook his head. ''No, I made sure that until a cause of death was officially determined, it wouldn't be there. I wanted to make sure that we could tell the kids first.''

Olivia said, ''Did you talk to a real estate agent?'' She picked up the bags that Elliot had put Eli's things in and took them to the second bedroom. ''Where are we going to put the twins? We have no room for them, and they're going to have to stay here tonight.''

Elliot, luckily, had followed her. ''I don't know, they can camp out in the living room for a couple of days, and we'll just keep an eye out for something. I really think it's going to be better if we get a house, 'cause it's going to cost less in the long run.''

This made Olivia's eyes well up. For years, she had been dreaming of a house in the suburbs, kids running around the yard, and Elliot. Now, it was here. It was hers. She was really sorry about Kathy, well, she was trying, but she couldn't help be happy about what she was gaining. ''OK.'' She managed to say without her voice wobbling.

Elliot helped her put the clothes in the dresser. ''I'll see if Fin can help me put the crib together before he leaves.'' He kissed her cheek and headed back out into the living room.

Olivia finished putting everything away and went back out to talk to Casey. ''Casey.'' She started, but Casey held up her hand to stop her. She was watching Elliot and Fin arguing about what the best way to put the crib together was. She sat back down on the couch and watched Eli gurgling away. She was sure the fight was a funny one, but she was marvelling at the fact that she was now going to be the mother that Eli remembered. He was too young to remember Kathy later on down the road. He was going to grow up knowing that Olivia was his mother. It didn't matter if they told him that he had been born by someone else, for all intensive purposes, she was his mother now. It was a little overwhelming, and she almost started crying again.

Casey stopped watching as the boys started carrying the crib parts in the bedroom and turned to her. ''So, what did you want to tell me, Livvy?'' She asked.

Olivia turned to her, her eyes bright. ''I just wanted to tell you that Elliot is making all my dreams come true, and he doesn't even know how wonderful he is.'' She tried to keep the tears out of her eyes as she continued, ''I asked him where we were going to put the twins, 'cause there isn't really room. He told me that he's got a plan for us to get a house together. Ever since I met him and fell in love with him, that is what I have been wanting. A family and a house and Elliot. This is really happening, Case. I mean, I'm sorry that it's happening faster than it was supposed to, but I can't help but be happy.''

Casey smiled at her. ''I'm happy for you, Liv. I really am. Are you worried about what you're going to tell the kids? You're basically Eli's mother now, too.''

Olivia smiled. Casey always could tell what she was thinking. ''I'm not. I'm going to let Elliot take the lead and then see what happens. I'm not sure how they're going to take it. I just want them to know that I'm here for them. And yes, I am Eli's mother now, but the other kids might not take that too well. They're already not happy that Elliot and I are together.''

Casey smiled back at her friend. ''You can do this, Liv. You're going to make a great mother. These kids are going to be in great hands. And don't forget about Baby Benson Stabler.''

Olivia smiled and ran her hand along her stomach. She could hardly believe that she and Elliot had their own little baby growing in there. She was so happy. She felt a little guilty for feeling so happy when so much had happened, but she couldn't help it. ''I know, I don't even care what I have. I just want a healthy baby. All I wanted was it to be Elliot's, and it already is.'' She could feel tears trying to fill her eyes again.

Later that afternoon, the kids were on the way up to the apartment. Elliot and Fin had finished the crib and Fin had gone back to Munch to find Harris and Rook. Elliot had cleaned up the apartment, and put Eli down for his nap, insisting that Olivia take it easy. She watched him, happier than she had ever been in her life. Elliot let all four of his elder children in and they stood, not sure what to do.

Elliot said, ''Kids, go on and sit down. Livvy and I have something to tell you. You all came straight here after school, right?'' He asked, giving them his patented Stabler "you better have done what I asked" look.

Maureen answered that one as they all stayed standing. ''Yes, Dad. Look, just tell us whatever it is you want to tell us. I have things to do, and we all have homework we need to get to.'' She stopped speaking as she spotted her baby brother's swing. ''What is Eli's swing doing here?'' She asked incredulously.

Elliot stole a look at Olivia, and then turned back to face his children. ''That's got to do with what we have to tell you. Something happened last night. Someone whom we've been chasing stabbed and killed your mother last night.'' He said it carefully, and waited for what they were going to do and say.

Dickie grabbed his twin's hand and kept a stoic expression, as sixteen year olds were wont to do. All three of his sisters' eyes filled with tears. Liz gripped her brother's hand back and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Maureen wiped her eyes and folded her arms. ''So, what happens now? Are you keeping the house?'' She had set her jaw defiantly, and Elliot could just tell she wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

Elliot shook his head. ''No, I didn't want that house to have any bad memories for you guys, so I'm selling it. Liv and I are going to look for a house together. I know that this is very sudden, but there's nothing else to be done. Our apartment isn't big enough for the twins and Eli, so we're going to start looking for somewhere to live. You can be angry, you can be upset, you can be whatever you want, just know that Liv and I are here for you, and we're doing what we think is best.''

Kathleen folded her arms tightly, too. ''Dad, what if we wanted the house? We grew up there.'' She wasn't even sure she still did want to live there, but she was angry that he had made this decision with Olivia before consulting any of them.

Elliot said, ''Kathleen, you and Maureen are both in college, and living in the dorms. All you need is some place to come to. It doesn't matter if it's that house or a new one. _I_ don't want to live there. I want Livvy and I to have a fresh start. I can't live there, knowing that's where your mother was killed. You guys aren't the only ones who lost someone. Just because your mother and I weren't together anymore doesn't mean that I hated her.'' He tried to keep his composure. He didn't want to cry in front of his children.

Maureen said, ''So Dickie, Liz, and Eli are going to stay here with you and Olivia? What, Mom dies and then we get Olivia? No one can replace Mom.'' She said. She knew she sounded like a four year old, but she couldn't help it. This was a lot to deal with.

Elliot said, ''Olivia isn't trying to replace your mother. But you are going to have to deal with the fact that Liv and I are together. And it is a lot to take in, having to stay here and getting a new place, and losing your mother. But this is the hand that we've been dealt. We're just going to have to make the most of it.''

Olivia watched as Maureen and Kathleen stormed out of the apartment, muttering things she and Elliot couldn't hear, and the twins, knowing that they had no choice in the matter, headed into the kitchen. She looked at her boyfriend, and she could see the hurt on his face. She pulled him next to her on the couch, and she wrapped her arms around him while he cried. She was going to be there for him. No matter what.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Olivia awoke with Elliot on the couch. They had apparently fallen asleep. The twins were up and moving around in the kitchen. She climbed out from underneath Elliot and headed off to the spare bedroom, to check on Eli. He was gurgling away. She picked him up and took him over to the changing table, which thank God Elliot had remembered to bring. She changed his diaper and dressed him, since Lizzie had bathed him after his nap the day before. Now that she was over the initial shock, she had been a big help. Olivia took Eli in the kitchen so she could feed him a bottle.

Dickie and Lizzie were finishing their breakfast. Luckily, she'd had some kind of sugary cereal that they would eat. That was all thanks to Elliot when he had gone shopping the other day. Dickie rinsed his bowl out and put it in the dishwasher. ''So, who's taking us to school? We go in Queens.'' He said. Olivia was thankful to notice that there was no sarcasm in his voice.

Olivia said, ''Well, what time do you have to be there?'' She got out one of Eli's bottles from the fridge and sat down to feed it to him. Lizzie got her one of the baby cloths, explaining to her that sometimes he spit it up. Olivia thanked her sheepishly. She knew that.

Dickie replied, ''In about an hour. We could take the subway.'' He said hopefully. He was trying to help, and he and Lizzie hadn't been on the subway that much. It sounded exciting.

Olivia, to his great disappointment, said, ''No, why don't you go wake your father up and he can take you. He has to go and talk to your Uncle Don at work, anyway. Are you guys ready to go?'' She asked.

Dickie nodded. ''Yeah. I'll go wake Dad up.'' He headed into the living room. Olivia wondered where the sudden turn around had come, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Lizzie said, ''We know we could stay home today, but we need to feel as normal as we can. Mom would want us to go.'' She managed to keep the tears off her face as she said this.

Olivia said, ''Whatever you want, Liz, is fine with me. I'm sure it'll be fine with your father, too.'' She checked Eli's bottle. He was finished, so she put the bottle in the sink to rinse out, burped him, and then took him into the living room to put him in the playpen Lizzie had put in the middle of the floor.

Lizzie came out into the living room with her. ''He likes it when you put on the Disney channel.'' She said, as she turned on the tv and effortlessly found it and put it there. ''Is there anything else you want to know?'' She asked Olivia.

Olivia said, ''Yes, actually. Write it down for me. What time does he take all of his naps, what his favorite foods are, what he's allergic to, and anything else specfic to Eli you think I might need to know.'' She got Lizzie a pad of paper and a pen.

Elliot came back into the room. He had quickly showered and put on some jeans and a blue tee. His eyes were still a little red. ''So, after I drop the twins at school, I'll check in with Cragen, and then I've got to meet the real estate agent. Do you feel up to going with me for that?''

Olivia thought maybe she should go, make sure that she liked the places that they saw. ''What about Eli? We'd have to bring him with us. I don't have to go. I know I'll like whatever you look at. If you chose a place today, make sure that you ask yourself, 'Would Olivia and the kids like this place?' I know it sounds silly, but this way, I can just stay home with Eli.''

Elliot looked weary. ''OK. I guess that's fine. Maybe I'll see Cragen after I'm completely done in Queens. Or go there real quick before I take the kids to school.'' He seemed to be thinking out loud, so Olivia didn't say anything. ''Come on, guys, let's go.'' He grabbed the one jean jacket of his that Liv wore the least, and gave his youngest son a kiss and then Olivia. ''I love you, babe.'' He told her.

Olivia kissed him back and told him she loved him too, and said bye to the twins as they grabbed their bookbags and they left. She was surprised a couple of minutes later by the knock on the door. She opened up to reveal Casey. ''Hi, Case. What's up?''

Casey said, ''I wanted to check on you before I went to work, to make sure that everything's going OK. I have to go and interview some of Harris' other guards friends at Sealview, see if they've heard from him. Munch and Fin are checking out Harris' partner's old work buddies.'' She realized that she had wanted to say that it was Rook. She'd almost forgotten that Olivia didn't know. She'd have to watch it. She knew that Elliot didn't want Olivia to know. She'd want to help.

Olivia said, ''I'm OK. It's just going to be me and Eli today, because the twins decided to go to school. I think that's pretty brave of them. But they're like El that way. They must just want to bury themselves in school so they can take their minds off the fact that they no longer have their mother.'' She paused, and then added, ''Oh, yeah, and they're actually being really great about the situation. I was prepared to have to deal with attitudes this morning, and there was none. Lizzie actually helped me by writing out a list of things I need to know about Eli.''

Casey smiled. ''Well, that's great, Liv. Has Elliot set a date for the funeral yet?'' She knelt by the playpen to smile at Eli. He really was a cute baby. She thought he looked like Elliot, and she hoped that that didn't seem to be too rude to Kathy's memory.

Olivia said, ''I don't know. He hasn't said much about it yet. All he said was that he was waiting to hear from Mel before he made a decision. He might have called already. He cried last night, and I comforted him, but other than that, he hasn't really said much about what he's feeling. He's been making all the necessary arrangements that he needs to make, but he hasn't really said anything to me about how he's handling this. I just hope that he's not going to unload without warning.''

Her best friend stood back up and said, ''You'll just have to wait until he wants to talk to you. You can't make him talk, Liv. And you've got to remember, he didn't open up to Kathy for years because he was in love with you. Now, he actually has you. Maybe he's having a rough time actually talking to you about stuff because it's not what he's used to. Just give him some time. He'll come around, I'm sure of it.''

Olivia said, ''Thanks, Casey. That helps. So, I'll let you know if I need anything. Don't you have to get to work? I don't want to get in trouble for being late to work.''

Casey smiled. ''Well, just get rid of me, why don't you, Livvy?'' She laughed at the look on Liv's face. ''I'm kidding. I actually do need to get going. I have to get to Sealview by ten, and it's already almost nine, and I still need to have a quick bite of breakfast. But yes, call me if you need anything. Fin and Munch will call, and Fin's sending a unie to be here while El's gone. He said that Elliot told him to do it, so you aren't allowed to send the guy away. They both just want you to be safe. We all do.''

Olivia thanked her, gave her a hug, and saw her out. True to Casey's word, the unie showed up a few minutes later. She got him some coffee, and asked him if he needed anything else while he was standing outside her apartment door. He just asked her for a folding chair, which she gladly got him. Since he was taken care of, she sat down on the couch to start writing some thoughts in her journal. She had some stuff to work through, and she thought that might help her.

Elliot remembered after dropping the twins off at school that his meeting with the real estate agent wasn't until the afternoon, so he decided to just head back to Manhattan so he could talk to Cragen. He entered the squad room cautiously. He was hoping that no one was going to stop him and give him their sympathies. As nice as he knew they thought they would be being, he didn't want to have to make small talk. He just wanted to talk to Don, and then check in with Munch and Fin if they were there, and then head to Melinda's to see how the testing was going.

Luckily, Cragen was in his office. ''Hi, Cap. I need to talk to you. I know you know about Kathy. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be taking more time off than I wanted to. I need to make sure that I sell the house in Queens and get another one, and there's just a lot of stuff to deal with.''

Don nodded. ''I know. I didn't expect you back any time soon. I don't even want to see Olivia back here until she has been cleared by a doctor, and even then, no field time. She'll be on desk duty. As long as she's carrying that baby, she'll be safe.'' He surprised Elliot, who hadn't known that Cragen had known that information.

Elliot said, ''On that note, I have a ring I am planning on giving Olivia in the near future. We want to make sure that the kids handle Kathy's death OK before we add anything else shocking. Not to mention, we aren't telling them about the baby any time soon, either. I know you wanted me to make an honest woman of Livvy.'' He smiled weakly.

Cragen said, ''Go ahead and sit down and shut the door, Elliot.'' He waited until Elliot had done so before he continued. ''Is there anything you want to talk to me about, son?''

Elliot could feel tears pricking his eyes. He really did want to open up, but he was willing himself not to. He had to tell Livvy. He didn't want to unload on Cragen before he had told her. ''No, I'm OK. I just want to be there for my kids and Livvy. She's taking to the mothering thing pretty well. I am glad I have her to help me through this.'' He blinked harder than necessary, trying to keep the tears from escaping.

Cragen looked at him. ''Listen to me, El. I know that you're trying to be strong for Liv and the kids, but you have to talk about this stuff. It's fine if you don't want to talk to me about it, but at least go home and tell your girlfriend. You have to talk about this to someone. Let it be Liv. Don't hold it all in. Just because you're feeling sorry about Kathy's death doesn't mean that you love Olivia any less.''

Elliot nearly lost the battle with his tears when Cragen said that. He was quiet for a moment while he composed himself. ''I know, Cap. I'll talk to her, I promise. There's just a lot to do.'' He ran his hand over his face.

Cragen said, ''Before you do anything else, talk to Liv. I know her. She's probably waiting for you to say something to her. Tell her how you feel. It'll feel much better, I promise.''

Elliot nodded, and left Cragen's office. He quickly wiped his eyes and looked around for Munch or Fin. He didn't see them, so he decided to head to the lab to talk to Melinda before he headed back to the apartment. He knew he needed to talk to Liv. He didn't want to get into it before he went to meet the real estate agent. He hated for anyone to know that he had been crying. He would most surely cry when he talked to Liv. His father had always taught him that crying was for pussies, but ever since he had lost it a couple of years ago at Rebecca Hendrix's place, this psychatrist that he and Liv had worked with, he hadn't felt so bad about crying. He still didn't like people to see him doing it, but he didn't think of himself as less of a man if he did.

The lab was quiet, and only Melinda was there. He took a deep breath and said, ''Hi, Melinda.'' He walked over to her, hoping that she was finished with the body, because he really didn't want to see her like that.

Melinda turned around. ''Elliot. I take it you're here to see if I'm done with Kathy.'' She could tell he was really upset. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked like he hadn't slept that well.

Elliot nodded. ''Yeah. I don't want to..'' He stopped. He couldn't finish that sentence. It was too much. He clasped his hands behind his back and had to work at keeping the tears at bay again.

Melinda said, ''Well, you're in luck, because I am. I just got done telling Munch and Fin the official cause of death was blood-loss from a stab wound.'' She stopped for a second. ''Do you want me to tell you anything else?''

Elliot closed his eyes for a moment. ''No, Mel, that's OK. I don't need to know. I'm going to have it arranged so that the funeral home can pick her up tomorrow.'' He thanked Melinda and left to go back home.

Olivia was napping on the couch when he got there. He took off his jacket and went to check on Eli. He was in the bedroom, in his crib. He kissed his son and went back into the living room. He still had about four hours before he had to be back in Queens to meet the real estate agent. He had called Fin and had asked him to pick up the kids from school. Fin had agreed.

He watched Livvy sleep. She looked so peaceful. It was the first time in two days he'd seen her without any worries. He hated what this had done to her. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She woke, yawning. ''Hi, baby.'' He said, as she sat up and pulled him next to her on the couch.

Liv asked, ''So everything go OK?'' She took one of his hands in hers and ran her other hand in his hair. He looked so exhausted and worried. She hated that he had to go through this, it just made her want to get Harris even more.

Elliot sighed. ''It was fine. I dropped the kids off, I talked to Cragen, and Melinda said that she was done with all the tests she was doing on Kathy.'' He sighed and buried his head in her neck. Tears started to fall from his eyes and fell on Olivia's shirt. ''I hate that this is happening. And the twins are taking it too well, it's worrying me.''

Olivia put her arms around him. Remembering what Casey had said, she didn't push him. ''We can't make them talk to us.'' She said, instead of asking him how he felt.

Elliot pulled his head up to look at her. She wiped a few tears off his cheek. ''Cragen told me to talk to you. I don't want you to think that I don't want to tell you things. This is just too much for me to handle by myself. She was the mother of my children. She had nothing to do with any of this. Harris just wanted to get to me. It's all my fault that she's dead.''

Olivia kissed him lightly as more tears fell down his face. ''This is not your fault. This isn't either of our faults. This is Harris and his mystery partner's fault. They killed Kathy. And it doesn't matter what their reasoning was. You just worry about making sure the kids are OK and let me help you through this. You've just got to talk to me.'' She kissed him again and he buried his head in her neck again, letting the tears fall. She wasn't sure how to help him with this, but she was going to be there for him in any way he needed. He had been there for her, time and time again.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and sobbed on her shoulder. This was too much. He had thought that Kathy would be around for a long time. Her death had pushed himself, Liv, and his kids into something that he wasn't sure they were ready for. And Liv was being so great. It just made him love her more. He sighed as the tears stopped. He snuggled in tighter to Livvy and turned his head, laying it on her shoulder. ''Are you hungry? I'm starved.'' He said.

Olivia laughed lightly. ''Yeah, I haven't eaten. Eli lay in the play pen for a little while after you left, watching the Disney channel, and then he started to fall asleep, so I put him back in the crib after I changed his diaper. Then I came back out and lay down to watch some tv and fell asleep myself. So I haven't eaten today. Order some Chinese or something. I don't know about you but I don't feel like cooking.''

Elliot pulled back and got up. ''I can go fix something. I need to keep myself busy.'' He headed into the kitchen, to see what he could make. He was starving, and he hoped they had something that wouldn't take that long to fix.

Olivia heard Elliot's cell ringing from the coat rack. It must have been in his jacket pocket. She pulled it out, saw it was Fin, and answered it. ''Hey, Fin.'' She said.

Fin was a little surprised that Olivia was answering El's phone. ''Hey, Liv. Is Elliot 'round? I need ta double check th' time dat th' twins get ou' of school so I can get there on time.'' He hated lying to her, but he needed to talk to Elliot about the case. They actually had had a break.

Olivia walked into the kitchen with the phone and handed it to her boyfriend. ''El, Fin wants to talk to you about the twins.'' She figured it was about the case, but she knew it would be easier on both her boyfriend and Fin if she just played along. She had learned to pick her battles.

Elliot took the phone and waited until Olivia had gone back into the living room to answer. ''Hey, Fin, what's up? Is there a break in the case?'' He knew that Fin wasn't calling about the twins.

Fin replied, ''Yeah, we caught Harris. We charged 'im wit th' murders of Kathy and Lake, and th' attempted murder of the two of yo'. We didn' find Rook, though. He won' give 'im up. But we've got unies where we found Harris, in case Rook comes back. I'ma thinkin' I can break 'im. I just wanted to let you know. If I were yo', though, I'd still be careful, we doan know what Rook's capable of.''

Elliot nodded, then remembered that Fin couldn't see him. ''OK. Keep me posted. If you need to, tell him that I'll come in and make sure that he gives it up. If that doesn't impress him, tell him that I don't care if he stays alive or not. It might scare him into talking. Make me out to be a real badass.''

Fin laughed. ''Yeah, that won't be too hard fo' me to do.'' He wasn't completely scared of Elliot, but he had seen Elliot get angry enough that he had wondered what he was capable of.

Elliot laughed a little too. ''Shut up. I'm not that bad, am I?'' He found some spaghetti noodles and pulled out a pot to cook them in. He wondered if that was what Liv thought, too.

Fin replied, ''Naw, I doan think yo' are, but I'm on'ly me. I can' speak fo' everyone.'' He told Elliot he had to get back to Munch so they could go interrogate Harris.

Elliot decided it was cool to tell Liv that they had Harris and not his mystery partner. He knew she would feel better knowing that the pig was behind bars. ''Hey, Livvy.'' He called into the living room.

Liv came into the kitchen, wondering what he was going to tell her. She knew it was about the case. She wondered what he was going to say. She knew there was something that they were all hiding from her. She could tell, because other than when they had told her and El about what they thought Harris and the mystery man had done to Kathy, they hadn't spoken about the case to her. She had started thinking about it, and wondering what they were hiding. She wasn't going to push it unless she felt that she needed to. ''What's up, babe?'' She asked.

Elliot got out the spaghetti sauce. He always doctored it, made it taste homemade. It was faster than making homemade. He could do that, too, though. ''They caught Harris, they're charging him with Kathy and Lake's murders, the attempted murder on us, and he's not talking. He won't turn his mystery partner in. But Fin says he and Munch are going to work on him, and they've got unies where they found him. He didn't tell me where.'' He poured the sauce into another pot.

Olivia was glad to hear that. Her eyes welled up a little. ''I'm glad. I want to see him.'' She had to see him in the precinct, so she could know that he was there.

Elliot looked at her. ''Are you serious? Liv, don't do that to yourself. He's there, Fin and Munch are interrogating him. Don't worry about it. All you're going to be doing is torturing yourself.''

Olivia said, ''I'm going, El, and you can't stop me. I don't need you to go with me. I'll walk.'' She grabbed one of his jackets, and headed off, slamming the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

When Olivia got to the station, she headed into Cragen's office. ''Cap, where's Harris? I need to see him. I need to see him in lockup.'' It was a burning need that was getting stronger. She couldn't let it go.

Elliot was a few minutes behind her, carrying the diaper bag and his son. ''Olivia!'' He called, heading for Cragen's office. She turned around, and gave him a look. ''I couldn't let you do this by yourself.'' He explained.

She tried to keep the tears off her face. Deep down, she was glad he had come. ''OK.'' She merely said, as Elliot handed the diaper bag and Eli to their boss, never taking his eyes off Olivia.

Olivia took his hand and they headed off to the interrogation room. She stopped at the two-way mirror, her eyes welling up with tears. She could feel Elliot wrapping his arm tightly around her, but she never took her eyes off Harris. Elliot switched on the intercom, so they could hear. Fin was yelling for Harris to tell them where Rook was. She figured that must be his mystery partner. She felt tears dripping off her face. She had to talk to him. She couldn't stop herself as she went to the door and opened it, Elliot trying to stop her the entire time.

Lowell Harris smiled devishly at her when she entered the room. ''If it isn't Dectective Olivia Benson.'' He said, his voice dripping with distaste. He said, ''You tore yourself away from your precious Stabler long enough to see me being held in the precinct.''

Olivia tried not to let him see her fear. She loathed what this man had been able to do to her. ''I had to make sure that you're telling Dectectives Munch and Tutuola what they need to know.'' She said.

Harris continued to give her that devilish grin. ''I see Stabler came with you.'' He said as Elliot entered the room behind her. ''Couldn't face me by yourself. Not only is your precious Stabler here, but Munch and Tutuola are here, too. You can't stand it, either. You have to have all these men here to protect you. You're a helpless woman.'' He could tell the words he was saying had an effect on her.

Olivia knew she wasn't completely one hundred percent better, but she couldn't help herself. She punched him as hard as she could, and he went tumbling off the chair to the floor. Munch and Elliot were speechless, but Fin said, ''Damn, go Livvy!'' Olivia kicked him in the side, hard. ''I don't need anyone to protect me from you. You killed Kathy, you killed Lake, and you tried to kill me and my boyfriend. But if you don't tell us where your mystery partner is, I swear to God that I will make sure that instead of serving life in prison, you'll get that needle in your arm. Try me, you fucking bastard.''

Harris looked at her and actually was afraid for his life. She looked like she could kill him there that minute, never mind that there were witnesses. He wasn't scared into giving up Rook's location, however. ''Fuck you, you bitch.'' He said, hoping that he wasn't trembling. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

Olivia kicked him so hard that blood shot out of his mouth. ''You're going to tell me, you bastard. I'm not kidding about that needle. All I need to do is call the ADA.'' She got right in his face, and spit. ''You'll pay for what you did. I am going to make damn sure of it.''

Elliot didn't know what to do. He knew he had to stop Olivia before she did something that they would both regret, but he wasn't sure what. He looked to Fin and Munch for answers. They both shrugged at him. He watched as Olivia stood back up, still looking at Harris with disgust. ''Livvy, come on. You're not even supposed to be here.'' He wanted to get her out of the room before Harris did something to hurt her. He wasn't going to lose that baby or Olivia. He had almost lost her once. He didn't want any of them to go through that again.

Olivia knew he was right. She wasn't thinking straight. She felt much better, though. She had faced him, and it was safe to say that she had won. Even if he never told them where Rook was, it didn't matter. She had shown him that she wasn't afraid of him. He had lost all of his power over her. She spit on him one last time and let Elliot lead her out of the room, shutting the door behind them. She took a deep breath and let him wrap his arms around her. She sobbed on his shoulder for a minute, and then said, ''Let's go home. I'm much better now.''

Elliot followed her out of the room, shaking his head in disbelief. He had never seen Olivia unload on a perp like that. He knew why, it just surprised him. He hadn't known that she was going to do that. On the other hand, he didn't think that Olivia had known, either. They headed back to Cragen's office to collect their son.

Cragen saw the looks on their faces, and knew that something big had gone down. He handed Eli to Olivia, and Elliot took the diaper bag. ''Everything alright? Anything you want to tell me?'' He asked this, but he could tell that they weren't going to tell them, and he knew that Munch and Fin weren't, either. Whatever had gone down was between the four of his dectectives and Lowell Harris.

Elliot shook his head as Olivia left the room, hugging their son to her. He knew he was going to ask her to marry him today. Knew it like he knew his own name. He couldn't explain why he knew today was the right day, but it was. He shared a look with Cragen and headed back out to follow Liv back out to the car.

Olivia held Eli tightly to her as she rode the elevator down and headed out of the building, more angry than she had ever been in her entire life. She did feel a lot better now that she had kicked Harris' ass, but she was still angry that he had been able to get to her like that. The only other time that she had been angry like this is the time that Elliot had told her he needed to know she could do her job, and not wait for him to save her. She had been so angry that day. This time took the cake, however.

Elliot finally joined her, and unlocked the car. She put Eli in the car seat and watched as Elliot put the diaper bag in the back seat, next to his son. He opened her car door and then got in himself. He wasn't sure what was going on in her mind. She had been so quiet since he'd pulled her out of the interrogation room. He answered his ringing cell phone, as it startled him. ''Stabler.'' He said.

It was Fin. ''Hey, Elliot. Is Liv OK? I know that had to be hard for her.'' He hated what that had done to Liv. He was glad that she had gotten to do it, though. It looked like it had been very theraputic for her.

Elliot looked at Liv as he started the car and headed them back towards the apartment. She looked a little angry. Actually, more than a little angry. ''She seems to be OK. I can't talk about it right now. Let me call you back.'' He told Fin bye and hung up. He looked at her. ''Liv, you gonna say anything?''

Olivia wasn't sure what to say. She was starting to calm down a little, but she was still not sure how she felt. She kind of felt a little numb. Aloud, she said, ''I'm OK, Elliot. I'm not going to break.''

Elliot replied, ''I know, baby, but you've just been so quiet. I just want you to tell me how you're feeling.'' He now knew how she must have felt when he hadn't been telling her about his feelings about Kathy's death.

His girlfriend shrugged. ''I don't know how I'm feeling. I know that I feel better. I know that he doesn't have any more power over me. I know that all I want to do is go home and not think about it.''

They rode the rest of the way home in silence. When they got there, Liv unbuckled Eli and carried him in, glad that she could hold him. He was centering her, making her feel like she was really there. She let herself into the building and headed up to the apartment, nodding at the unie as she unlocked the door. She walked in and immediately felt better. This was her place. Hers and Elliot's. She could feel what made them them as she stood there, cradling her son. She took a deep breath and felt the tears collect in her eyes.

Elliot joined her a minute later, closing the door behind him. He watched as Liv held Eli and rocked him, tears dripping down her face. He wanted to help her, but he figured he'd let her alone for a minute. He touched her back gently, letting her know he was there, and headed into the kitchen to clean up the spaghetti mess.

After he had finished, he headed back out into the living room. She had placed Eli back into the playpen, and was watching him. She seemed to be OK now, but he joined her on the couch. ''Livvy, I'm going to go back to the station, talk to Munch and Fin, and then I'm going to go and meet the real estate agent. Are you going to be OK, baby?''

Olivia looked at him. Her eyes were very red. She looked like she was better, though. She kissed him and nodded. ''Of course. I'll be fine. You go ahead and go. Tell them I hope they nail that bastard's balls to the wall.''

Elliot kissed her, told her he loved her, did the same for their son, and headed back to the precinct. He found Munch and Fin back in the squad room, looking a little happier. He asked, ''What's going on? Did Harris give up Rook's location?''

Fin shook his head. ''No, but we got a witness that saw Rook in Brooklyn, so we're going to go and check that out. Is Liv alright? I know that had to have been hard for her.''

Elliot shrugged. ''When she got home, she stood there for a second in the living room, holding Eli and crying. I headed into the kitchen, cleaned it up, and headed back out, and she seemed to have calmed down a little. She did tell me on the way home that she felt better and that he doesn't have any power over her anymore, so that's good. I think she's gonna be OK.''

Fin said, ''Well, we've got to get off to Brooklyn. Harris is booked and off to Rikers. So Liv won't have to worry 'bout him anymore. With these murders, he'll be in there for a long time. Casey might cut him a deal, get the death penalty off the table, if he gives up Rook's location. I don't think he'll get the death penalty anyway. Even though he killed a cop, the DA is afraid he'll piss people off.''

Elliot shrugged. ''I don't think it really matters, as long as he won't get out again. I personally am going to see that he never does. He will never hurt Liv again. I don't want her to ever have to go through that ever again.'' He hated Harris and wanted to kill him himself, but since he wanted to be there for his kids and Liv without being in jail, that wasn't such a good idea.

Munch clapped him on the shoulder as he and Fin left the precinct. He was glad that they had finally caught the man that had made Livvy so miserable. He had enjoyed Liv kicking the shit out of him. He was glad that she felt better.

Olivia was still sitting on the couch where her boyfriend had left her, the tv on, not really watching it. She wasn't sure how she should be feeling right now. She guessed she was relieved that Harris was behind bars. She was interrupted any more thinking when there was a knock on the door. She got up to get it, and wasn't surprised to see Kathleen standing there. ''Hi, Kathleen, come on in.'' She said, stepping back to let her in.

Kathleen entered the apartment, looking nervous. She seemed to have calmed down a bit from the day before. ''I just came to see Eli. I usually stop by to see him when I'm done with my classes for the day. Is that OK?'' She asked.

Olivia nodded. ''Of course. He's getting ready to go down for a nap in a minute. He's had a little bit of excitement today. I was going to take him in there a little bit early.'' She was sorry that Kathy had died, but she was really loving the being a mother part of her relationship.

Kathleen said, ''I'll do it. I'll give him a bottle and put him down.'' She really hated having to come here to see her baby brother. She really didn't like how serious her father and Olivia were. She knew that they had been in love for a long time, but she didn't like that they had gotten together so quickly after her father's divorce. Things were just moving too quickly for her.

Olivia told her that was alright and watched as Kathleen picked up her brother and took him into the kitchen. She decided to get her mind off things and pulled her Stephen King book off the shelf and settled down with it, turning the tv off.

About an hour later, Elliot returned, looking happy. It had been a miracle from God. He had managed not only to get an offer on the house, but he had found one not far from the other, still in Queens, of course, that he had loved. That one had been on the market for a long time, so that one had been easy to snap up. He couldn't wait to tell Liv that they had a house. He was glad that things were turning out good. The arrangement that they had right then hadn't been something that would have worked that long.

He entered the apartment, smiling. He said, ''Livvy, guess what. We got an offer on the old house, and I found a new one. We're in escrow, baby.'' He leaned down to give her a kiss.

Olivia kissed him back, glad that that had worked out. She'd been worried about it. ''I'm glad. When are we moving in?'' She was itching to start packing things up.

Elliot said, ''In about a week. I'm going to paint the living room before we move in. It needs a new coat of paint. I had the funeral home pick Kathy up, and the funeral is tomorrow. I just want to do a service, 'cause I really don't want to be in that house. The kids can have a wake there if they want, but I'm not going to mess with it. Her family isn't going to be happy about it, but they won't want to come here anyway. They don't really like you much.'' He told her a little apologetically.

Olivia nodded. ''I kind of figured. It's alright. You do whatever you think you need to do, baby. I am fine with whatever you decide.'' She paused, and then said, ''Kathleen's putting Eli down for his nap after he's done with his bottle, and I think you should see if she's OK. I know that she doesn't want me to ask her.''

Elliot agreed, and headed into the kitchen. Kathleen was just finishing up giving Eli the bottle. She left the cloth on her shoulder as she burped him. Elliot could tell that his daughter was going to make a great mother. ''Kathleen, how you doing?'' He asked, hoping that he was going to get a somewhat civil answer.

Kathleen shrugged. ''I miss Mom. I didn't want to have to come here to see my brother. And I don't want to sell our house. Dad, I know that you've known Olivia for a long time, but must you really be with her?''

Elliot had figured that one of them was going to ask him that sooner or later. ''Yes, I must. I love her, Kathleen. I don't want to ever be without her. And I'm sorry that your mother's gone. Your uncles Munch and Fin caught the guy that did it, so at least she got some justice. And I know the situation isn't the best, but I don't want to hear you making any snide remarks about Livvy. She is going to be here for us. She would do anything for you, so you're going to hold your tongue. You don't have to like anything that's going on, but you are going to be civil to Olivia. She is only trying to be here for us.'' He wasn't going to put up with his kids being spoiled brats, because even losing their mother didn't give them an excuse to treat someone that loved them that way.

Kathleen wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew her father was being completely serious. She knew it was going to be hard to do what he was asking, but she knew she had to try. He was her father. She loved him, and even though she was furious at him, she wasn't going to ignore something that he asked her to do. ''OK, Dad. I'll try the best I can.'' She took Eli off to his bedroom, wishing that things were different.

Munch and Fin were pulling into the convience store that Rook had been seen. Munch got out of the car, wishing that they hadn't been listening to gansta rap, or hip hop, or something with lots of bass all the way there. Fin liked lots of different kinds of music, but that day, he'd been obsessed with whatever it was they had been listening to. He hadn't been driving, so he had been stuck with it. He had made a promise to himself that the next time he drove, they'd be listening to some Barry Manilow. He despised Barry Manilow, but so did Fin. And they had the arrangement that whoever drove picked the music. He was in for it.

Fin liked to mess with Munch every once in awhile. He knew that Munch hated anything but classic rock, which Fin actually liked too, he just liked to play some stuff that Munch didn't like every once in awhile. It was fun yanking his chain. He always got paid back in some way or another. He opened the door to the store, letting Munch head in first. ''Age before beauty, man.'' He told his partner, chuckling.

Munch rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, which had always reminded Fin of Elvis, and walked in the store. He headed up to the counter, and pulled out the photo of Rook they'd managed to procreate. ''Have you seen this man?'' He asked. He knew that they had, the manager of the place had called the precinct.

The kid behind the counter replied, ''Yeah, let me get the manager. He told me to come and get him when you guys showed up.'' He left and went to the back, returning a couple of minutes later with a pasty looking dude.

He introduced himself as Kingston and said, ''I'm glad you came. That guy came in and bought some food and soda, but he also asked me where there was a place where he could purchase some explosives.''

Fin looked at his partner, and then back at Kingston. ''Did you tell him?'' He hoped not, 'cause Rook and explosives did not sound like a combination that he wanted to deal with.

Kingston shook his head. ''I told him I didn't know of any places around here that did, and then as soon as he was satisfied that that was the truth, he left. I called you right after that. Is he really as dangerous as they said on the news?''

Fin nodded. ''Yes. If you see him again, definitely call us. We think he's on the move, though, so we don't think you will see him again.'' They left one of Fin's cards with them and they headed back to the precinct to fill Cragen in.

Olivia and all four of the eldest Stabler kids were standing in the living room of their former home, trying to figure out what to pack first. Olivia had put on her oldest pair of jeans and a t-shirt of Elliot's that looked like he'd had it since he was seventeen. It had the name of some old rock band on it named Asia. She picked up one of the egg boxes they'd gotten from the grocery store and went to the entertainment center and started packing up the CDs and DVDs. The records she was going to put into another box unless Elliot wanted to sell them in the garage sale. They were having it the day before they moved into the new house.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as the kids sighed and grabbed boxes, heading off to the kitchen with them. She smiled to herself. She couldn't help but be happy. She was finally happy. She had everything she ever wanted, even though it was sad that Kathy had to die for that to happen.

Elliot had Eli back at the apartment, where he was packing. He hadn't wanted to ever go back into the house in Queens, so he had told Olivia if she had any questions about anything he still had there, she could call him. He trusted her to handle everything. Besides, the kids were going to be helping, and they were old enough now to tell what was whose. He had the task of packing everything up in the apartment. Olivia had already sorted everything that she wanted to contribute to the garage sale and taken it with her to Queens, to get it out of his way. Then, she'd laid out her clothes for the rest of the week, and told him to just pack away.

He was just getting into the closet to start packing up the shoes she wasn't going to wear when the house phone began to ring. He pulled himself back out of the closet, muttering curse words. He hated being interrupted once he had started something. He answered the phone, a little annoyed. ''Benson-Stabler residence.'' He said.

It was Fin. ''Hey, El, have you seen or heard from Casey in the last couple of days?'' He asked. She might be missing. He was really starting to get a little worried.

Elliot didn't like the sound of that. ''Olivia did. She was here this morning, before she headed off to Sealview. She was interviewing some of Harris' guard friends. Why? Did she not come back?'' He prayed that something hadn't happened to Casey, too.

Fin's reply did nothing to ease his worries. ''No, she didn't. She never came back after her appointment there. She didn't actually show up, so something happened to her on the way. I called, to see what time she left, and they said she never showed up. I'm worried. We know it wasn't Harris, because he was caught. I think it was Rook. He was supposedly in Brooklyn, but that didn't mean he didn't do something to her. He could have done something to her before he left Manhattan.''

Elliot said, ''Well, before you assume that he killed her, check all of her haunts, and call all of the numbers in her address book, and look anywhere you can before we assume the worst. And whatever you do, don't call Liv. I don't want her to know about this before she needs to. She's really happy right now, and I don't want to make her worry for nothing.''

Rook was indeed in Brooklyn, in an abandoned house as far away from anything as he could get. It was just outside the city. He did indeed have Casey. He was not intending to kill her, just hold her hostage. He hadn't really decided what he was going to demand, so he was just keeping her tied up in the living room. He had the television on for her, and he had given her food to eat. He just wouldn't let her call anyone. He wanted them to be looking for her. He was thinking of demanding that they send Benson and Stabler, so he could have a battle of wits with them, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that just yet. In the meantime, Ms. Novak was proving to be quite a model prisoner. She hadn't made a lot of noise, because she seemed to be smart enough to know that that wasn't going to do her any good. It was just a matter of waiting and thinking. It was what he was best at.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Casey Novak was officially missing. Fin and Munch knew that Rook had to have taken her, and they had looked everywhere for her. They had no fresh leads. They were all at the house for the minute, taking phone calls from loonies. Fin was getting a little nervous. They still didn't know what made Rook tick. They'd called Huang in, but since he didn't have much to go on, either, they still were in the dark. Fin was yelling at some crazy loon who was swearing that she had seen Rook and Casey at a diner in Soho. He was pretty certain that she hadn't, they were working on the assumption that he was hiding out with her.

Elliot walked into the crowded station, and knew that they hadn't found Casey yet. He hadn't heard back from Fin since the day before. This explained why. He'd come to get some things from his desk. The memorial service was in about an hour or two. He went to the Captain's office. He wanted to tell him that it was OK if they didn't come to the service, since they had to find Casey. He didn't want to have them down three guys if they didn't have to be. They were already down two with him and Liv not working.

Cragen smiled at him when he walked in. ''Hey, Elliot. What's up?'' He asked, wishing that there hadn't been so much going on lately. He knew that Kathy getting murdered had really hurt him. More than he cared to admit.

Elliot had already dressed for the service. He wore one of his best black suits, but he'd gone open-collar. He hadn't wanted to wear a tie, 'cause he knew he'd just be fidgeting with it the entire service. ''I just wanted to tell you that you, Munch, and Fin don't have to come to the service if you don't want to. I know you're busy looking for Casey.

Cragen felt even sorrier for Elliot and his family after he had said that. He had always been a little closer to Olivia and Elliot than he had Munch and Fin. He felt like a surrogate father to them. ''Elliot, we'll be there. We do have to find Casey, but we aren't going to make you go through this alone.''

Elliot didn't say it out loud, but he was really glad that his friends were going to be there. He only wished that Casey was going to be OK. He still felt bad that they were going to be wasting an hour or two at the service, but he really needed them there. He did have his family, and Liv, but he really would feel better with them there. ''Thanks, Don.'' He said, and left the office to go to his desk.

Some of his collegues patted him on the back as he passed, but Fin took the time to talk to him a minute. ''Did you ask her yet?'' He asked, under his breath.

Elliot shook his head. He'd been meaning to ask Olivia the day before, and give her the ring, but by the time they'd returned from Queens, everyone had been really tired, and he'd decided to wait until that evening. He _had _told the kids, though, and they hadn't been as angry as he was expecting them to be. They were actually starting to soften towards Livvy. He had decided that it was the time they'd spent with her at the house in Queens. ''No, by the time they got back to the apartment from packing, she and the kids were tired. I'm planning on asking her tonight, if I think the timing's right. I'll see how I feel.''

Fin said, ''You know, you can wait a bit. There's no rush, El. You know she's meant for you.'' He knew that Elliot was hurting right now, and he thought that it wasn't the time to make a big decision like that.

Elliot nodded. ''I know, but I want to ask her now. I love her. I want to make her mine officially. I know the time's right. I'm more sure of that than my own name.''

Fin changed the subject. ''So, what time's the service? Munch and I are coming together, but Cap's driving seperately. We want to make sure that we're there for you.'' He was surprised by the look on El's face. He looked like he was going to cry.

Elliot took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. ''Thanks, Fin.'' He paused again and then said, ''It's at one. It's not going to last that long, and then we're taking her to the cemetary. You guys don't have to go with us for that if you want to come back and keep looking for Casey. I'll understand.''

Fin shook his head. ''No, we're going to stay wit you as long as we can. I'm not going to leave until you tell me that you don't need me. I know that we're short staffed right now, but we really don't have much to go on anyway. It'll be OK for a bit. Don't worry. We're not going to abandon you.'' He heard Munch call his name, where he was looking at the board. ''I've gotta go. We'll see you at one.''

Elliot nodded and rubbed his eyes, to keep the tears from falling. He grabbed the things he needed from his desk and headed back to the apartment. When he got there, it was the great changing of the unies, as a new one relieved the old one. He headed inside, giving a nod to both of them. He was surprised to find the apartment covered in clothes. There wasn't a space in the living room that didn't have some article of clothing draped off it. ''Livvy, babe, where are you?'' He called, as Eli gurgled at him from the playpen.

Olivia came into the living room, half dressed. She had her pantyhose on, but she was missing a skirt. She said, ''Dickie and Elizabeth are getting ready with Maureen and Kathleen in the dorms, and then they're meeting us here, so we can all go together. What did you pack yesterday? 'Cause I can't find the skirt that I wanted to wear.''

Elliot replied, ''I only packed up the clothes that you told me I could. I don't know what you're talking about. What does it look like? Did you unpack everything?'' He asked, looking around incredulously.

Olivia shook her head. ''No, just a couple of boxes. I just can't find my skirt. It frustrates me. I'm going to look in the stack of clothes I laid out for this week and see if it's in there somewhere. I did lay out Eli's outfit, it's in his room, why don't you get him ready while I finish up?''

Elliot agreed, and picked up their son and took him off to his bedroom. He couldn't believe how good it felt to be talking about this normal, every day stuff with Livvy. He couldn't wait until she was his wife.

About an hour or so later, the kids had shown up at the apartment. Dickie and Elizabeth both sat on the couch, watching Eli, who was gurgling away in the playpen again, looking very cute in his little suit. Maureen and Kathleen both stood off to the side, not really wanting to get comfortable. Elliot came out into the living room, and gave them all kisses on the cheek. Dickie said, ''Is Olivia ready yet? Mo wants to get there early.''

Elliot said, ''Yeah, she was missing her skirt, but she found it. She's finishing up with her hair and makeup.'' He went around the living room, picking up the clothes and putting them back in the boxes that they had been packed in.

Lizzie said, ''I'm going to get a water.'' She headed into the kitchen, surprised that she still didn't feel at home here, even though she had already begun to think of it as home in her head. She actually was glad that her father had found someone that made him happy. She really didn't have a problem with Liv anymore.

Olivia came into the living room, having finally found the skirt she wanted to wear. ''OK. Let's go.'' She said, giving slight smiles to all of the kids, and going to pick Eli up.

Elliot was blown away by how beautiful she looked. ''Liv, you look really nice.'' He said, as he picked up the diaper bag. He was always blown away by how amazing Liv was.

Olivia smiled. ''Thanks, babe.'' She called to Lizzie in the kitchen, to tell her that they were going. She held Eli close, surprised at how quickly she had begun to feel like a mother.

It only took a few minutes to get to the church. Elliot chose to stay outside for a bit, 'cause he wasn't ready to see Kathy yet. He had decided on an open casket for the kids, but he was going to have to prepare himself for it. He wasn't quite ready to see her like that. All still and peaceful. He still couldn't accept it.

Olivia looked around the church. They weren't the only ones who were early. Some of Kathy's other family members had filled up one of the pews on the right side. She could feel their stares boring into her. She shook it off and headed up to the front pew and let the kids file past her, and set Eli's diaper bag on the floor underneath the pew and sat down. She held Eli and breathed in his baby scent. It centered her, made her feel like she belonged. Eli had always loved her. He had taken to her even before she and Elliot had gotten together.

Elliot joined them a couple of minutes later, and put his arm around Livvy, despite the stares from his ex-wife's family. He was determined not to let them make him and Liv feel that she wasn't worthy to be there. He didn't care what they thought. She was going to be there for his kids, and that's just the way it was going to be.

They felt a little better a half an hour later when more people began showing up. Munch, Fin, and Cragen sat behind them. Fin gave Liv's shoulder a squeeze. He knew that she had to be feeling the hatred. The tension in the front of the church was palpable.

The reverand began the service, and then Kathy's sister and parents both said something. The kids all trouped up to recite a poem that Kathleen had written, Maureen holding Eli. Then Elliot went up, to say the last bit. He was nervous, and looked straight at Liv once he got up there. She centered him, gave him stabilty. He met her eyes for a moment, and then began to read something he had written. ''I was married to Kathy for a very long time. She gave me five wonderful children. I loved her. Even though she and I weren't together anymore when she was...'' He stopped, and slowly began again. ''When she left this Earth, I still cared for her. She was a wonderful person, and I always thought that she deserved someone better than me.'' He pressed a hand to the casket, and then went to sit back down.

After the reverend closed the service, they all headed to the cemetary. Elliot had insisted that Munch, Fin, and Cragen went back to the station. He told them that it was great that they had come to support him, but he wanted them out there looking for Casey. He wanted her to be OK. They were reluctant, but they did as he asked.

Afterwards, the kids and Kathy's family headed to a resturant downtown for the wake, since the house in Queens was full of boxes and things to be sold in the garage sale, and Elliot and Olivia headed back to the apartment. Elliot went to change into something he could paint in. He was going to go and paint the living room in the new house. They had told him all the paperwork would be finished up that day. He was glad how things had worked out.

Rook was watching Casey struggling with her bonds. It was quite interesting to see. He had decided that he was going to demand that he be given money and an audience with Benson and Stabler. He was hoping that they would give him what he wanted, since he had Casey. She had finally stopped yelling for help a few hours ago. He had just finished feeding her dinner. She had not looked happy that she had been fed instead of feeding herself.

He picked up the phone and called the Manhattan SVU precinct, and asked to speak to Cragen. When Cragen answered, he indentified himself. He knew that they knew who he was. There was no point in lying. ''I'm Merritt Rook, and I have your ADA. If you want her to stay alive, you will send five hundred thousand dollars with Detectives Benson and Stabler. I want an audience with them. You have two days to complete this. I want to give you time to get the money together.''

Cragen was surprised at how polite and educated Rook sounded. He didn't know why he was, they hadn't really had much to go on with Rook. He said, ''Well, that can be arranged. Where would you like this to take place?''

Rook said, ''There's an abandoned theater out here in Brooklyn. It's called The Critic. Be there two days from now at noon. I will bring Ms. Novak with me, so you'd better not try and outsmart me.'' He hung up the phone.

Cragen placed the receiver back down and everyone could tell he was pissed. ''He wants us to be in Brooklyn, two days from now, with five hundred thousand dollars with Benson and Stabler. They aren't even officially at work. Plus, Liv's pregnant, I don't want to send her out in the field.''

Fin said, ''What do you want to do, Captain? I don't know what he's going to do if we try to outsmart him. If he's anything like Harris, he's going to be pretty pissed.''

Cragen seemed to not have even heard him, he was thinking out loud. ''What kind of criminal asks for just five hundred thousand? They usually aim pretty high.''

Munch spoke up. ''Cap, maybe he's really not after the money. Maybe he really cares more about having that audience with El and Liv than he does anything else. I'm betting he only took Casey to get what he wanted. He probably doesn't really care if she's alive or not.''

Fin argued, ''But if he really wants that time with El and Livvy, then he'll keep her alive. It's them he's really after. I think it'll be alright as long as we make sure that we have backup at the theater. And we put a bullet proof vest on Liv. What do you think, Cap?''

Cragen wasn't entirely sure about this plan, but it was better than anything he could come up with. ''I guess that's what we're going to have to do. I'll call the brass, so we can get the money. You call Elliot. If they don't agree, then we'll do something else.''

Fin called Elliot on his cell, taking it to the crib. He wanted privacy. ''El, it's Fin. I've got something new on Casey. Rook just called the precinct. He wants you and Liv to bring him five hundred thousand dollars. He wants an audience with you.''

Elliot was knee deep in paint. He carefully stepped into the middle of the room. ''When does he want this? And I'm not sure that actually giving him what he wants is such a good idea, Fin.''

Fin replied, ''Well, what we were thinking was putting a bullet proof vest on Liv, and making sure that we have a lot of backup at the theater he wants us to bring it to. I know that it's a little dangerous, but we're not sure that he's going to hurt you. So far, all he's done is been an accessory to murder and kidnap Casey. Harris has done all the killing. Maybe you'll be able to make the collar.''

Elliot hated to agree to this. ''I'll talk to Liv and get back to you. When is this all going down?'' He didn't want to put Liv in the line of fire, but he knew that if he protested too much, Liv would want to do it just out of spite.

Fin replied, ''Two days from now at noon. Just talk to her and let us know, we'll be thinking of a backup plan.''

Elliot said bye and hung up his phone. He would think about this for a bit before he told Livvy. He wanted to form a solid stance before he brought her into this. It sounded way too dangerous.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

When he got home later that evening, Olivia was asleep on the couch. He had thought long and hard about what Fin had suggested. He still wasn't sure what they should do. He wasn't sure that there was anything they could do, 'cause it's not like they could find Rook without going to the theater. They didn't even know where he was. He didn't want to wake her up, but he knew it was a good idea, the twins would be coming home any minute, and they were never quiet when they entered anywhere.

He knelt beside the couch and kissed her softly on the lips. ''Liv, hon, wake up. You and I have to eat something. We haven't eaten all day. I'm going to go make some sandwiches.''

Olivia yawned and stirred. She had changed into a pair of his boxers and an Aerosmith tee. She smiled at him. ''Are you finished painting already?'' She asked, as she sat up.

Elliot nodded. ''Yeah, the first two coats are up. I'm going to make us some sandwiches. What do you say to that? I know you haven't eaten all day.''

Olivia knew she hadn't. She'd been too nervous before the service. She'd been worried that one of Kathy's family members was going to try and start a fight with her. ''I guess that sounds good, I am really hungry. Make mine peanut butter.'' She yawned again. She was exhausted. Baby Benson-Stabler was really tiring her out.

Elliot headed into the kitchen to get out some turkey and ham. Olivia joined him, rubbing her stomach. It was finally grumbling. He grinned at her, and then remembered he had to tell her about Fin's plan. ''Um, there's something that I have to tell you about. I am opposed to the idea, but they wanted me to run it by you.''

Olivia sat down at the table, wanting to help him, but feeling too drained. ''Go ahead and tell me. It must be something that I'm not going to want to hear.''

Elliot nodded. ''You're right. Fin called while I was painting, and told me that Rook made a ransom demand for Casey. I told you he kidnapped her, right?'' He knew he hadn't, but he figured the best approach was to pretend he thought he had. He was glad that she hadn't watched the news.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he hadn't, but she wasn't going to fight about it. It was just lucky for him that she hadn't seen the press conference. ''No, you didn't. So, what did Rook demand? Lots of money? What does it have to do with us?''

Elliot smiled sheepishly at her, then turned serious again. ''Well, the deal is, he wants us to deliver 500 thousand dollars to this abandoned theater in a couple of days at noon. He wants to talk to us. I don't know why. Fin wants to send in a lot of backup and put a bulletproof vest on you. I am opposed to it, but they don't know where Rook is and they have no way of finding him.''

Olivia knew she shouldn't want to do this, but she wouldn't be herself if she didn't want to. She was pregnant now, if something went wrong, she'd be taking Baby Benson-Stabler with her. ''I think you should think about it. I'll go, but I'm not going in that theater. I'll stay with the captain.'' She stopped as he looked at her. ''I won't be able to just sit here, wondering what's happening. I'll drive myself crazy. I'll see if one of the kids will watch Eli.''

Elliot handed her a peanut butter sandwhich, just as she'd requested. ''I want to do it, for Casey. I'll wear the bullet proof vest. It'll be fine. I've done this before. Plus, there'll be plenty of backup.''

Before there could be any more talk about it, the twins came home. They had taken Eli with them, so Kathy's family could see him. Liz was holding him and the diaper bag. ''Liv, he's getting fussy. I think he wants his mommy to give him some dinner.'' She ignored the look from her twin as she handed her brother off to Liv.

Elliot put all the food away, and got himself and Olivia something to drink. ''Did you both get enough to eat at the restaurant?'' He asked, smiling to himself at what Lizzie had said.

Lizzie nodded as she got herself a water from the fridge. ''Daddy, can I ask you something?'' She wanted to know what his intentions towards Olivia were. She had had to endure two hours of her aunts talking badly about Olivia, and wondering if Elliot was going to marry her.

Elliot was wary of this. Lately, whenever Liz asked him this, it was never something that he wanted to answer. ''Um, I guess so. Am I going to get mad at you for whatever you're planning on asking me?''

Liz shrugged. ''Maybe. You can take it however you want, I just want to know when you're planning on making an honest woman out of Livvy. So are Aunt Lucy and Aunt Debbie. I don't think they want to know as much as I do, though. Well, they want to know for different reasons.'' Her blonde hair hung over her shoulder, and Elliot could see the streaks of pink. They were definitely going to have a discussion about those at a later date. He didn't want to upset her, since she had just lost her mother, so it could wait. Not for long, though.

Elliot took a deep breath, to stave off the anger, and then said, very calmly, ''How is that anyone's business? Liv and I are really happy right now, let's keep everyone else out of it.'' He was proud of himself for not losing his temper.

His daughter just shook her head and took her brother in the living room. Olivia finished feeding Eli and said, ''I'm going to take him to bed. Then I'm going to bed myself. You coming in a little bit?''

Elliot nodded, and figured that would be the right time. He waited until Olivia had gone into Eli's room and then went to get the ring out of his jacket pocket. Thank God no one had found it. He took a glance at the twins. They were too busy being absorbed in _Hogan Knows Best_ to pay attention to him. He put it in his pocket, and then actually paid attention to the screen. ''Is that Hulk Hogan?'' He asked incredulously.

Lizzie looked over at him. ''Yeah, Dad. It's like The Osbournes, only it's the Hogans. You know Hulk Hogan, he's a famous wrestler.'' She stopped at the stymied look on her father's face. ''It's a reality show, Dad. You know, where there's no "script"?'' She said, using air quotes for the word script. She and Dickie watched it all the time, and since it wasn't too serious, it gave them something to focus on, so they didn't have to think about Kathy.

Elliot rolled his eyes at her. ''I know what a reality show is, Elizabeth Stabler. You can cut the sarcasm. Just make sure you don't stay up too late, we're getting ready for the garage sale tomorrow.'' He told them, and then headed into the bedroom.

Liv wasn't there yet, so he hid the ring in the nightstand drawer, and then grabbed a pair of pajamma bottoms out of the dresser. Then he got on the bed to wait for Liv.

She came in a few minutes later, looking happy. ''I sung our son to sleep. It was the most amazing feeling.'' She told him, as she joined him on the bed. She snuggled up next to him.

Elliot told her to close her eyes and reached into the drawer, pulling out the ring. He held it behind him and then said, ''Livvy, I want to say something to you. I know there's a lot going on right now, and this is probably incredibly selfish of me, but I want to say that I love you more than I have ever loved anyone else in my entire life. I don't want to waste another minute. Will you please make me even happier than you already have and marry me?'' He pulled the ring out from behind him, as Olivia turned pink.

She had opened her eyes when he had started speaking, and her eyes had filled with tears. She looked at the ring, admiring it. It was so beautiful. ''Elliot Stabler, I can't believe you expect me to say anything but yes!'' She managed to say, and then smiled through her tears as he slipped it on her finger.

Elliot, whose own eyes had filled with tears, smiled at her. ''I knocked you up, I may as well make you my wife.'' He said, laughing. She laughed, too, as she captured his mouth in a kiss.

The next morning, they awoke to find the apartment bright. It was seven-thirty, and they heard the kids making noise in the kitchen. Elliot groaned, and rolled out from underneath Olivia. He got his cell and headed into the bathroom. He'd forgotten to call Fin and let him know what he and Liv had decided to do.

Fin answered on the third ring, sounding harried. ''Tutuola.'' He said, and Elliot wondered what he was doing.

Elliot yawned and wet his hair. ''It's Elliot. I wanted to tell you that we'll be there. Livvy's going to stay with Cragen, and it'll be me talking to Rook. Is that cool? I still want Livvy in a vest and all the backup we can spare. I'm going to wear one, too. Just in case. I don't want anything to happen, especially now that Kathy's gone.''

Fin could hear the catch in his friend's voice. ''Cool, El, I'll let Cragen know. Meet us here at the precinct, so we can go over the plan one more time.''

Elliot told him that they would, and then hung up the phone. He got in the shower really quick, and then got out, wrapping a towel around his waist. He could hear his kids and his fiancee in the kitchen, talking about the garage sale. He shook his head. The twins were really taking Kathy's death way too well. Maybe he'd ask Huang to talk to them.

He dressed in his oldest pair of jeans and blue tank top. It was really starting to warm up. It was only just May. He didn't want to get anything nicer real dirty, just in case someone bought some of the furniture they were selling. He wasn't going to make them lift it themselves.

When he got to the kitchen, Olivia was just finishing up feeding Eli. ''Morning, baby.'' She said, giving him a kiss. She then kissed Eli on the forehead and passed him off to Lizzie. ''I've got to go get ready. I'm going to wear one of your tanks.'' She told him, and smiled at the way his eyes widened. He liked her in his clothes.

Elliot smiled his lazy Stabler smile. ''I like that.'' He gave her a kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. He couldn't believe how happy he was. He hadn't been this happy in a very long time.

Olivia gave him another long kiss and extracted herself. ''I have to get ready, baby. We both know I never will unless you let go.'' She laughed as he made a pouty face at her and took off for the bedroom.

Dickie watched this display with displeasure. His father left the room, too, saying he was going to go call their sisters. He wasn't so sure that his father should be macking on his new girlfriend like that in front of himself and his twin. He looked at his sister. She didn't seem a bit bothered by it at all. ''Liz, Dad was just macking on Liv right in front of us.'' He told her. He didn't care if his dad was with Liv, he didn't even care that they were engaged, he just didn't need to see it just yet.

His sister took Eli into the living room, her brother following. ''You know I don't care. I had a problem with it at first, but Daddy's happy, and Liv's been really great. I'm not saying that she replaces Mom by any means, but it's nice having her here.'' She placed her brother in the playpen.

Dickie folded his arms. ''I can't believe you're saying this. What about Mom? Don't you miss her?'' His eyes flashed just like his father's when he was angry. Lizzie always wanted to laugh.

Lizzie sighed. ''Of course I do, Dickie. I just want to make things as easy on Dad and Liv as I can. I know that having five kids thrust on you isn't easy, and I told you, Liv's been great.''

Dickie rolled his eyes. ''I guess so. I just think Dad's making a huge mistake. Plus, now we have to act like we like her. You know Dad won't actually want to know our real feelings.''

Lizzie replied, ''Maureen and Kathleen don't like the sitch, and they aren't going to hide their feelings about it. Just 'cause you're still living at home, doesn't mean that you can't tell him how you really feel. He can't tell you that you're not allowed to feel that way. Besides, he's going to be a little more lenient than he usually is, since he's giving us time to grieve for Mom. I know, 'cause he didn't say anything about my pink streaks yet. They aren't permanent, anyway. But even if he did, I wouldn't use that to my advantage. I really _do_ miss Mom.'' She wiped tears from her eyes.

Dickie put his arm around his sister. ''I'm not going to take advantage of it, either, but I just don't feel right about Dad and Liv.'' He held his sister as she cried on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, Liv was ready for the sale. She pulled out her cell as they herded the twins and Eli out to the car. She was calling Cragen. She was really worried about Casey. She wanted to know if there had been any news. ''Don, it's Liv. I just want to know if we've heard from Rook.''

Cragen was surprised to hear from her. ''I am happy to report that we have. We managed to trace the last call he placed, and we got Casey out when he wasn't there. We're still on the lookout for him. It was really lucky. I'm thinking that he wanted us to find her. It just seemed to easy.''

Liv was happy. ''Well, I'm glad Casey's OK. Did she have to go to the hospital or anything?'' She was going to have to call Casey after she got off the phone with Cragen. She wanted to make sure that Casey was alright.

Cragen replied, ''No, she was cleared at the scene by EMS. She's taking the day off work, though, and she's meeting you at the house in Queens for the garage sale. I think she's still in shock. Take it easy with her and try to get her to talk about it.''

Olivia was surprised, but she told her boss that she would, said bye, and hung up. She decided to wait until they had gotten to the house to tell Elliot what Cragen had told her. She hoped Casey was OK. She didn't want to even think about the possibility that she wasn't.

When they got there, the twins helped their father set up the tables while Olivia settled on the porch with Eli. She could already feel the heat of the day. Elliot was passing by her on the way to the front yard, and grinned appreciatively at her. She smiled back, glad he was enjoying her in his shirt.

Fin's car pulled up, and Casey got out. Fin waved out the window, and then pulled back out of the driveway. Casey walked up, a little slowly. She was very sore. She appeared to be alright, though. She went and sat down next to Olivia, kissing Eli's cheek. ''Hi.'' She said.

Olivia looked at her incredulously. ''You were kidnapped, let go, and all you can say to me is 'hi'?'' She asked, glad that Eli had finally fallen asleep.

Casey shrugged. ''I'm fine. Cragen, Fin, and Munch are going to catch this guy. He may want that audience with you and El, but he's not going to get it until we catch him. He's got nothing to bargain with. I'm not even sure why he let me go. He just did. I took the chance and I left. And I am here to take my mind off it and help you guys with your sale.'' She broke off as she saw the ring on Liv's left hand. ''When did you acquire that?'' She asked, taking Liv's hand to get a better look at it.

Olivia grinned. She spoke a little softer, so she wouldn't wake Eli. She figured she'd put him in his playpen here in a minute. They'd brought it so she wouldn't have to hold him all day. ''Last night. It was so romantic, Casey. I just, I am so happy I could burst.''

Casey said, ''It is a nice ring. I wonder if he picked it out all by himself.'' She let go of her friend's hand and looked at it glinting in the sun. She watched as Olivia put Eli in the playpen.

Olivia nodded. ''Yeah, it is.'' She was going to say something more when Liz walked up to her, looking timid. She turned her gaze to her soon-to-be step-daughter and asked, ''What's up, Liz?''

Lizzie said, ''Daddy wants to know what you want to do with the money. He doesn't have anything to put it in, and he doesn't want to carry all that cash around in his pocket.''

Olivia said, ''Just a minute, I've got a shoebox somewhere in the living room we can use.'' She told Casey to hold on a minute, and headed into the living room.

Elliot was standing in the yard, taking a minute. His entire life with Kathy was sitting on tables all over the yard. He took a deep breath, and when his daughter had returned with the shoebox, he was fine. He could now face the day of selling all these things that they didn't need anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

A couple of weeks later, Rook was still out there. Fin and Munch were not happy to still be looking for him. Elliot and Olivia were still settling into their new home. The twins each had their own room, which they liked. They each decorated their own rooms, much to Elliot's annoyance. Dickie painted his room black. Elliot decided that as soon as he felt like they had dealt with Kathy's death, they were repainting that room. He didn't think it should be black. Lizzie had gone with a normal color at least, for a girl, it was pink. He didn't think the black was very healthy. It was too dark.

He had gone back to work, but Olivia had chosen to stay at home for awhile longer. He had been going stir-crazy. He hated not seeing her as much, but he made sure that he got back home to her as quickly as he could. It was much different than the old days, where he stayed at work as long as he could, so he could be around Olivia. It was different now that he knew she was waiting at home for him.

Everyone was treating him a little differently now that they knew he and Olivia were engaged. Munch and Fin were pretty much happy for him, but Cragen seemed a little put off that it had happened so quickly. Elliot was thinking that maybe he should have asked Cragen's permission first, but he would have felt silly doing so, since Cragen wasn't Olivia's father. He wondered if Cragen knew that, however. The entire squadroom treated him as if he hadn't cared about Kathy at all. It was a little annoying. He had cared about her, but his relationship with her had been over. And that didn't mean that his relationship with Olivia was just going to go away. He was a little annoyed. But whatever.

He sat down at his desk, and had started going through his latest case when someone tapped on his shoulder. He nearly jumped a mile. ''What the hell do you think you're doing?'' He said, more loudly than he had intended.

It was Brian Cassidy, a dectective that had used to work on the Unit with them years ago. ''Hey, El. I'm back to take Lake's place.'' He said, as Elliot stood up to shake his hand.

Elliot sized him up, hoping that Cassidy had a girlfriend now, because he and Olivia had had sex back in the day, and he didn't want to have to deal with Cassidy being all jealous. ''So, you don't look a bit different.'' He said, noting that there was no ring on Cassidy's left hand.

Cassidy nodded. ''I know, still as handsome as ever. So, where's Liv? You still working with her? How's the family and everything?'' He seemed to be sizing Elliot up, too.

Elliot was happy to tell him, and felt a little guilty about that fact. ''Well, Kathy and I split up a few months ago, and Olivia and I are engaged.'' He paused a moment as he worked himself up to say it. ''And Kathy was murdered a couple of weeks ago. We're still working through it. Oh, and I had another son, his name is Eli.'' He was glad to brag about his son.

Cassidy seemed to be unfazed by the information that Olivia and Elliot were engaged, but he expressed condolences for Kathy's death. ''I have to tell you, man, I'm not surprised about you and Olivia. I had a feeling that it might happen some day.''

Elliot gave him a Look. ''What are you saying, Cassidy? How is it any of your business if Liv and I are destined to be together or not? I mean, really?'' He wasn't sure he liked what Cassidy was saying. He knew it was pointless to get all pissed about it now, but still.

Brian looked at him a little nervously. He had already had a long talk with Munch, who had told him some about how everyone had changed, and he knew that Elliot's temper had not gotten any better. ''I just mean that anyone could tell how much you guys were into each other, that's all. Is Munch here?'' He asked, albeit a bit nervously.

Elliot gave him another look and said, ''Yeah, he's in the crib, catchin' some Zs.'' He turned to his desk, to call Liv. He had to tell her this. It was shocking.

Olivia was sitting in the living room of the new house, watching something arcane and uninteresting on television while Eli gurgled away in his playpen. She was startled when the house phone rang. She picked it up, not bothering to look at the caller id. ''Stabler residence.'' She said, as she glanced at Eli in the playpen. Still looked happy to her.

It was her gorgeous fiance. ''Hey, baby, it's me. Guess who came to fill Lake's spot on the squad?'' He tried to calm himself down. There was no need to get all pissed off.

Olivia was a little interested now. It must be someone she knew. ''I don't know. Who do we both know that would have taken it?'' She asked, as she thought for a minute. Surely it wouldn't be Jeffries, she wouldn't want to work with Cragen again, maybe it was Cassidy. She highly doubted that.

Elliot took a deep breath and said, ''Brian Cassidy. Cassidy's back. And let me say, I'm not too happy about it. The man was in love with you.'' He leaned back in his chair.

Olivia knew she shouldn't laugh, because Elliot was being completely serious, but she couldn't help it. It was a little funny. She laughed a little. ''Come on, baby, don't tell me that you're worried about him. That's ancient history. I didn't even really want to be with him, it just happened. Besides, I was still dealing with the fact that I was so in love with you I couldn't see straight. It was a big tequila inspired mistake.''

Elliot rolled his eyes. He knew that there wasn't in Olivia's case, but Cassidy's, on the other hand...''Of course I am, Livvy. Not in your case, in his. I know you love me. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that he might still have feelings for you. He's not married, I already checked.''

Olivia tried not to laugh again, she didn't want to upset him. ''Please tell me you just checked his hand instead of asking. And it's kind of cute that you're all jealous. I love it when you get jealous. Except when it makes you act like a big jerk.'' She did tend to hate that, it was annoying. It was _not_ cute like she knew he wanted her to think.

Her fiance replied, ''Of course I just checked his hand. I'm not going to make a fool of myself and let him know that I'm worried about him. Jeez, Liv, what do you take me for?''

Olivia was struggling to keep the laughter back. He was already riled up, that wasn't going to help matters. He was so adorable when he was like this and it wasn't aimed at her. ''It's going to be fine, baby. Look, I've got to go check on the twins' laundry, and call the doctor back. He wants to make a checkup appointment. I've got to go. I love you so much. Don't worry a bit about Cassidy, OK, baby?''

Elliot replied, ''I'll try not to, sweetheart. I love you, too.'' He hung up and headed into Cragen's office. He wanted to know who in hell had made the decision to let Cassidy come back to the unit.

Cragen looked up when Elliot entered his office, surprised. Now was about the time that Elliot headed out to lunch with Fin, if they were both able to. ''What's going on, Elliot? Did you need to see me about something? Shouldn't you be heading out with Fin?''

Elliot closed the door behind him and folded his arms. ''Who made the decision to let Brian Cassidy come back to this squad? Why didn't you tell me that he was being considered?''

His boss looked at him in disbelief. He wasn't sure where this was coming from, Elliot had always gotten along with Cassidy, unless this was about the fact that Cassidy had once had feelings for Liv. He wasn't stupid, he knew more than he let on. ''What are you talking about? He came back because he was seeing someone in narcotics and it didn't work out. Plus, John called him and told him he wanted him to come back, so he did. Why do you want to know? I thought you and Cassidy had always gotten along?''

Elliot shrugged. It felt a little out of character to just shrug off his anger like that, but he had to be nonchalant if he wanted to get what he wanted. ''I did, but he just bugs me. I can't explain it.''

Cragen smiled despite himself. He knew what Elliot was doing. ''Look, son, I know about Cassidy's feelings for Olivia. That was a long time ago. She loves you. You're engaged. She's carrying your child. You have nothing to worry about, even if Cassidy still does feel the same.''

Elliot just shook his head, and said, ''I don't want to work with him.'' He left his boss' office, letting the door bang shut behind him. He turned to leave the office, running into Fin on the way. He ignored him, and headed to the elevator. He went all the way home to Queens, and let himself into the house. He found Liv in the living room, folding laundry. ''Liv.'' He said, as he buried his head in her neck.

Olivia was surprised as she put her arms around him. ''What's wrong, baby?'' She asked, hoping that this didn't have anything to do with Cassidy, that he just wanted to see her.

Elliot didn't answer right away, just continued to smell her. This was going to be harder than he thought, being away from her. He also knew that it was going to be hard to work with Cassidy and not want to punch him in the face. He finally pulled his head out of her neck and said, ''I don't know if I can do it, Livvy. I don't know if I can work with him, and just pretend that everything's fine.''

Olivia ran her hand through his hair, which was actually, for him, anyway, getting a little long. He looked like he'd already been running his hand through it, and it was sticking up a bit. It always drove her crazy when it did this. ''Baby, I told you, there's nothing to worry about. Even if he does still feel that way towards me, you know that I don't feel the same way for him. I never will.'' She pulled away from him enough so that she could show him the ring on her finger. ''Look, I'm in this for life. I said that I would marry you. You can relax. Working with him is going to be fine.'' She kissed him softly. ''You need to chill out.''

Elliot knew he needed to chill, he just couldn't help it. He had been in love with her for so long, and now that he had her, it was just unbelievable to him that she was his, and he wasn't going to lose her. It was still sinking in. ''I know it's forever, I just, I can't get used to the fact that you're mine. We're together, we're having a baby, I just can't shake the feeling that no one's going to take you away.'' He knew it sounded stupid.

Olivia answered him by kissing him as deeply and passionately as she could. ''It's going to be fine. We're not ever going to be without each other ever again.'' She wrapped her arms around him and held him as he buried his head in her neck again. She never did want to be without him again. Her time undercover had been the worst time of her life. She had hated being away from him. She never wanted to go through that ever again. She knew he didn't, either. Now that Cassidy had come back into the picture, she hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with that crazy psycho bitch, Dani Beck, who'd worked with Elliot while she'd been away. She hoped not, she'd have to kick her crazy psycho bitch ass. That wasn't something she was looking forward to, even though if she got the chance to, she'd enjoy it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The next day, Elliot headed off to work again, having promised Olivia that he would try to get along with Cassidy. He knew that it was what she wanted. It was going to be hard for him, he didn't easily admit that he was wrong. He didn't like to, it showed weakness.

When he got to work, Cragen was yelling at Munch and Fin for some reason. Elliot walked in, trying to ignore them as he went to his desk. Usually, Cragen yelled at them all in his office, this must have been big. He was turning purple in the face, and Munch and Fin both looked like little kids who had done something to make their father mad. Elliot would have shared a laugh with Liv if she had been there.

''Cap, we've looked everywhere for him. He disappeared. Besides, he hasn't done anything else, and we think he may have skipped into Jersey, and you know that they never really want to help us much.'' Munch knew that didn't help their case any, if at all, but he didn't know what else to say.

''I don't want to hear your excuses, but since we've got lots of other cases on our plates, just leave it for now. Don't think that I haven't forgotten about this, you two.'' He took a deep breath and turned to Elliot. ''Until Olivia's back to work, you're going to partner with Fin. I was going to make you work with Cassidy anyway, but Cassidy and Munch are going to work together for awhile. Just don't get comfortable with the arrangement.'' He headed off to his office as Elliot heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn't help it.

Fin smiled wearily at him. ''Cap's mad because Rook's still out there. He's just too smart for us. We're pretty sure that he escaped to Jersey. I'm sorry. I know you really wanted to find him.'' He followed El's eyes to Liv's desk, where Cassidy had set up shop. Fin saw El's face start to turn red. ''El, calm down. Lake's desk is where he's going permanently, it's just not completely cleaned out yet. There's a lot of stuff we're still sifting through. That's still Liv's desk.''

Elliot took a deep breath, trying to control his rage. This definitely fell in the getting along with Cassidy promise that he had made with Olivia, and he intended to keep it. ''I can do this. I can do this.'' He said a couple of times to himself and got out some paperwork he needed to finish.

Speaking of the devil, Cassidy joined them, carrying coffee cups. He handed one to Fin and one to Munch, and placed one on Elliot's desk, before going to sit down at Liv's. Elliot didn't want to drink the coffee, but didn't see any way to get out of it while still keeping his promise, so he reluctantly took a sip. He snuck a glance at Cassidy, who smiled slightly to himself.

They all got to work, not really talking to each other much, Munch and Fin both had a lot of calls to make. Elliot was half-way through his paperwork when he got a call. He answered it reluctantly. ''Stabler.'' He said, as he continued to look over his file.

It was Olivia, and she sounded very excited about something. ''Baby, it's me. Guess what? We're having twins. I went to the doctor today, and he apologized to me for not noticing before that there's another baby. We're having twins!''

Elliot was only half listening, he was still concentrating on his work. ''I thought you had to call him to make an appointment.'' He said, as he started a DD5 for a case they had just finished.

Olivia said, ''Yeah, I had an appointment made with my new doctor, but Dr. Taylor had me come in to make sure that everything was still going OK, and he did an ultrasound when he did that. He told me that we're having twins. He was just glad that I wasn't angry he missed it.'' She got herself some water.

Elliot finally heard what she was saying. ''You've got to be kidding me. I must have the best sperm in the entire world. That's seven children I have fathered.'' He said, and felt every year of his forty-seven. It was going to be a bit exhausting to have that many kids running around. Especially since that by the time the twins were born, Eli would be crawling and everything. It was a bit daunting when he thought about it.

Olivia noticed his tone. ''El, what's wrong? Why aren't you more happy about the twins? I mean, I thought you wanted to have more children with me.'' She could feel her heart sinking. Had she totally misread him? Was she going to lose him? She couldn't handle that after waiting years to have him.

Elliot instantly reassured her. ''Of course I do, Livvy, don't be silly. I wouldn't lie to you. Well, unless it was necessary to keep you safe. This isn't one of those times. I know how badly you wanted a baby. I wanted to give you one. Now, it seems, I'm giving you two. Please don't think that I didn't want to have a child with you.''

Olivia almost felt herself crying. ''Good. You just didn't seem that excited, it made me wonder, is all. Look, I have to go and get Eli his bottle, but call me later and let me know what time you think you'll be home, OK, baby?''

Elliot agreed to that and after telling her he loved her, he hung up the phone. He caught Cassidy looking at him. ''What's the problem, Cassidy?'' He asked, as he got up to get himself more coffee, hoping that Munch hadn't been the one to make it.

Cassidy asked, ''I just noticed that you must have been the one to say it first. With Kathy, she always said it first. You must not have loved her. You always let her say it first.''

Elliot took a deep breath, trying not to make a face at him. This being nice to Cassidy was going to be harder than he had thought. ''I really love Livvy, she's my fiance. What are you trying to get at?'' He set Cassidy with a stern look, hoping that it wouldn't be misconstrued as a glare. He didn't want to break his promise to Livvy.

Cassidy shrugged. ''I'm not trying to "get" at anything, I'm just making an observation. You really don't have to get so uptight, you know. I'm not here to steal her from you. I just wanted to come back as a change of pace. Plus, I was seeing this woman, Dani Beck, and it didn't really work out.'' He stopped as Elliot looked at him in surprise. ''What?'' He asked, feeling self conscious.

Elliot groaned. ''You've got to be kidding me. That's two of my partners that you've had a thing for. Man, oh man.'' He really hoped that Dani wasn't going to come and try to get Cassidy back. He really didn't want to see her. ''Who broke up with who?'' He asked, hoping that Dani had ended things.

Cassidy looked surprised, but he answered, ''If it's any of your business, I decided that she wasn't what I wanted in the end. She's way too emotional for my taste.'' He was further surprised when Elliot stormed over to Cragen's office.

Elliot yanked Don's office door open, angry. He didn't even know why he was taking it this way, it was a little too much for the situation. Just because Brian had ended things with Dani didn't mean that she was coming back, but he was just so mad. Things with Olivia had been really great, despite everything that had happened, and this had the potential to really screw things up. ''Don, Cassidy's ex is Dani Beck. Dani Fucking Beck.'' He tried to keep from yelling. That wouldn't help.

Cragen gave him a stunned glance. ''What? What are the odds of that happening?'' He mused out loud, not really noticing the look Elliot was giving him. Even though it really wasn't his fault, Elliot was going to take it out on him, since he had no other option.

Elliot waved his hand in front of his boss' face. ''Did you hear me? Dani Beck is Cassidy's ex. He broke up with her, not the other way, she could come here to get him back. I don't need anything else trying to come between Liv and I. We have to do something, get Brian to transfer. I don't care what it is, I just don't want that woman back here.'' He could hardly believe that this had happened. It was one of the things that he had never guessed would ever happen in a million years.

Cragen finally focused on him. ''You know what, Elliot? You and Liv are going to be fine. Dani Beck possibly showing up at the station isn't going to make a difference because you're finally with the person that you're supposed to be with. You and Olivia are going to get married and be fine. Dani won't be able to effect you if you don't let her. All this is totally in your head.'' He hoped that all this wasn't going over his dectective's head and it was sinking in. He didn't want to continue to have this conversation.

Elliot knew that Don was right, but it just didn't feel that way. He just shook his head and left the office, running straight into Fin, who had been standing outside the door. ''What's your damage, Tutuola?'' He asked, a little angrily.

Fin hadn't been able to hear the entire conversation El had had with Cassidy, but he had heard the shouting he'd just done. ''Look, I don't know what's come over you, but Dani being Cassidy's ex won't have anything to do with you and Liv unless you let it. Just calm down, Stabler. It's going to be fine. Just remember, you love her.''

Elliot knew he was right, it was just going to take a moment to sink in. He headed back to the cribs, just wanting a minute to calm himself down. He went to his locker to see if he had any of his little stress balls in there. Liv was always making sure that he had some, and they always ended up in his locker.

What he did find was an envelope with his name on it. He pulled it out, recognising Olivia's handwriting. He wondered if she had enlisted Fin to help her put this in here. Of course, it could have been there for awhile, he hadn't opened his locker for awhile. What was written on the paper inside made his eyes water.

_E is for the encompassing way that I love you, l is for the love that you give back to me, l is for the life you gave me, i is for how incomplete I would be without you, o is for only you by my side forever, and t is for all the time that we're going to spend together. Please have no doubt that you're the one I want for the rest of my life. I love you so much, I used your name to write a poem, and that is been done to death. I LOVE you, you idiot. Love, Liv_

Elliot laughed through his tears when he was finished reading. She must have had Fin sneak this up here. He was so glad he was finally with her. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialed the new house number, hoping that the baby wasn't taking his nap. She answered on the first ring. ''Stabler residence.'' It almost started him crying again. ''Hey, baby, it's me. I just got your note.''

Olivia grinned. ''Good, I was hoping you'd find it today. I thought you'd need that.'' She knew that he was taking this Cassidy thing too seriously. She thought he needed to be reminded of what waited for him at home in Queens.

Elliot felt himself smiling, Dani Beck almost completely forgotten. He talked to his fiance about their new life together, letting himself get lost in her. It was a good place to be.

Sitting in Port Authority, Dani Beck was pondering what she should do next. She had lost whom she had thought was the love of her life. How should she go about getting him back? She knew that he had gone back to the Special Victims Unit, and she wasn't sure that she could go back there. Elliot Stabler was there, and he had made a fool of her. Maybe she should go back, get revenge on them both. Kill two birds with one stone. Maybe take care of that girl they both loved so much. It wouldn't be hard, and then maybe she could sleep at night.

THE END, TBC????

_**Author's note: This will be continued in The Return of the Bitch From Bitchville. All questions will be answered. In the meantime, you know you want to leave a review! Thanks for reading this far!**_


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